The principal accounting policies and measurement bases used in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements of the Group for 2019 were as follows:
2.1
In addition to data relating to the parent company, the consolidated financial statements contain information on subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates. The procedure for integrating the assets and liabilities of these companies depends on the type of control or influence exercised.
The Group considers as subsidiaries companies over which it has the power to exercise control. Control is evidenced when it has:
In general, voting rights give the ability to direct the relevant activities of an investee. To calculate voting rights, all direct and indirect voting rights, as well as potential voting rights (e.g. call options on equity instruments of the investee) are considered. In some circumstances, a company may have power to direct the activities without holding a majority of the voting rights.
In these cases, the investor considers whether it has the practical ability to direct the relevant activities unilaterally (financial and operating decisions, or appointing and remunerating governing bodies, among others).
The subsidiaries are consolidated, without exception, on the grounds of their activity, using the full consolidation method, which consists of the aggregation of the assets, liabilities, equity, income and expenses of a similar nature included in their separate financial statements. The carrying amount of direct and indirect investments in the share capital of subsidiaries is eliminated in proportion to the percentage of ownership in the subsidiaries held by virtue of these investments. All other balances and transactions between consolidated companies are eliminated on consolidation.
The share of third parties in the equity and profit or loss is shown under “Minority interests (non-controlling interests)” in the balance sheet and in “Profit/(loss) attributable to minority interests (non-controlling interests)” in the statement of profit or loss.
The results of subsidiaries acquired during the year are consolidated from the date of acquisition. Similarly, the results of subsidiaries that are no longer classified as subsidiaries in the year are consolidated at the amount generated from the beginning of the year up to the date on which control is lost.
Acquisitions and disposals of investments in subsidiaries without a change of control are accounted for as equity transactions, with no gain or loss recognised in the statement of profit or loss. The difference between the consideration paid or received and the decrease or increase in the amount of minority interests, respectively, is recognised in reserves.
According to IFRS 10, on loss of control of a subsidiary, the assets, liabilities, minority interests and other items recognised in valuation adjustments are derecognised, and the fair value of the consideration received and any remaining investment recognised. The difference is recognised in the statement of profit or loss.
Regarding non-monetary contributions to jointly controlled entities, the IASB recognised a conflict in standard between IAS 27, under which on the loss of control, any investment retained is measured at fair value and the full gain or loss on the transaction is recognised in the statement of profit or loss, and paragraph 48 of IAS 31 and the interpretation SIC 13, which, for transactions under their scope, restrict gains and losses to the extent of the interest attributable to the other equity holders of the jointly controlled entity. The Group has elected to apply, in a consistent manner, the provisions of IAS 27 to transactions under the scope of these standards.
Relevant information on these entities is disclosed in Appendix 1.The above information is based on the most recent data available (actual or estimated) at the time of preparation of these Notes.
The Group considers as joint ventures those which are controlled jointly under a contractual arrangement, by virtue of which, decisions on relevant activities are made unanimously by the entities that share control with rights over the net assets.
Investments in joint ventures are accounted for using the “equity method”, i.e. in the proportion to the Entity’s share of the assets of the investee, after adjusting for dividends received and other equity eliminations.
Relevant information on these entities is disclosed in Appendix 2.The above information is based on the most recent data available (actual or estimated) at the time of preparation of these Notes.
Associates are companies over which the Group exercises significant direct or indirect influence, but which are not subsidiaries or joint ventures. In the majority of cases, significant influence is understood to exist when the company holds 20% or more of the voting rights of the investee. If it holds less than 20%, significant influence is evidenced by the circumstances indicated in IAS 28. These include representation on the board of directors, participation in policy-making processes, material transactions between the entity and its investee, interchange of managerial personnel or the provision of essential technical information.
Exceptionally, those not considered associates are companies in which more than 20% of the voting rights is held, but it can clearly be demonstrated that significant influence does not exist and, therefore, the Group lacks the power to govern the entity’s financial and operation policies. Based on these criteria, at the end of the year, the Group held certain equity investments for very insignificant amounts, ranging from 20% to 50% classified under “Financial assets at fair value with changes in other comprehensive income”.
Investments in associates are accounted for using the equity method, i.e. in the proportion to the share of the assets of the investee, after adjusting for dividends received and other equity eliminations. The profits and losses arising from transactions with an associate are eliminated to the extent of the Group's interest in the share capital of the associate.
The amortisation of intangible assets with a finite useful life identified as a result of a Purchase Price Allocation (PPA) is recognised with a charge to “Share of profit/(loss) of entities accounted for using the equity method” in the statement of profit or loss.
The Group has not used the financial statements of companies accounted for using the equity method that refer to a different date than that of the Group's Parent.
Relevant information on these entities is disclosed in Appendix 3. The above information is based on the most recent data available (actual or estimated) at the time of preparation of these Notes.
The most representative investment in which it has significant influence with a stake of less than 20% is Erste Group Bank AG (Erste, Erste Group Bank or Erste Bank. There is a preferred partnership agreement between Erste’s controlling shareholder (the Erste Foundation) and CaixaBank that confirms the amicable nature and long-term outlook of the investment, a corporate and sales collaboration agreement between Erste Bank and CaixaBank. Under this agreement, CaixaBank i) can appoint two directors to Erste's Supervisory Board; ii) it votes in the General Committee of Shareholders in the same sense as the Erste Foundation only as regards to the choice of members of the Supervisory Board and iii) it is one of the Austrian bank's stable shareholders, alongside a group of Austrian savings banks and some of their foundations, and the WSW holding company, jointly holding a share of around 30% of the capital.
A structured entity is that which has been designed so that voting or similar rights are not the dominant factor in deciding its control, such as when any voting rights relate to administrative tasks only and the relevant activities are directed by means of contractual arrangements. In any case, the Group also uses the percentage of voting rights as an indicator for the purpose of measuring the existence of control in entities of this nature.
Where the Group creates or holds ownership interests in entities to provide customers access to investments or transfer certain risks to third parties, it analyses whether it has control over the investee and, therefore, whether it should or should not be consolidated.
To determine whether there is control over a structured entity and, therefore whether it should be consolidated, the Group analyses the contractual rights other than voting rights. For this, it considers the purpose and design of each entity and, inter alia, evidence of the ability to direct the relevant activities, potential indications of special relationships or the ability to affect the returns from its involvement.
With regard to securisation funds, the Group is highly exposed to variable returns and has decision-making power over the entity, directly or through an agent. Information on these funds, the financial support given to the vehicles and the reason are detailed in Note 28.2.
At year-end, there were no agreements to provide additional financial support to other types of consolidated structured entities than those described.
The Group creates vehicles to provide its customers access to certain investments or to transfer risks or for other purposes. These vehicles are not consolidated, as the Group does not have control and as the criteria for consolidation set out in IFRS 10 are not met.
At year-end, the Group did not have any significant interests in or provide financial support to unconsolidated structured entities.
Accounting standards define business combinations as the combination of two or more entities within a single entity or group of entities. “Acquirer” is defined as the entity which, at the date of acquisition, obtains control of another entity.
For business combinations in which the Group obtains control, the cost of the combination is calculated. Generally, it will be the fair value of the consideration transferred. This consideration includes the assets transferred by the acquirer, the liabilities assumed by the acquirer to former owners of the acquiree and the equity interests issued by the acquirer.
In addition, the acquirer recognises, at the acquisition date, any difference between:
The positive difference between i) and i) is recognised under “Intangible assets – Goodwill” in the balance sheet provided it is not attributable to specific assets or identifiable intangible assets of the company or business acquired. Any negative difference is recognised under “Negative goodwill recognised in profit or loss” in the statement of profit or loss.
2.2
The criteria established by the regulatory framework for accounting for classifying financial instruments is set out below:
Contractual cash flowa |
Business model |
Classification of financial assets (FA) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
Solely principal an interest payments on the amount of principal outstanding on specified dates (SPPI test) |
In order to receive contractual cash flows. |
FA at amortised cost. |
|
In order to receive contractual cash flows and sale. |
FA at fair value with changes in other comprehensive income. |
||
Other - No SPPI test |
Derivative instruments designated as accounting hedging instruments. |
Derivatives - Hedge accounting |
|
They originate from or are acquired with the aim of realising them in the short term. |
FA at fair value through profit or loss. |
FA held for trading. |
|
They are par of financial instruments identified and managed together, for wich there is evidence of recent pattern of short-term profit-taking. |
|||
They are derevative instruments that do not meet the definition of a financial guarantee contract an have not been designated as accounting hedging instruments. |
|||
Others. |
FA not designated for trading comulsorily measured at fair value though profit or loss. |
||
Investments in equity instruments are an exception to the aforementioned general assessment criteria. In general, the Group irrevocably exercises the option in the initial recognition by including – in the portfolio of financial assets at fair value with changes in other comprehensive income – investments in equity instruments that are not classified as held for trading and that, in the event of not exercising this option, would be classified as financial assets compulsorily measured at fair value through profit or loss.
With respect to the evaluation of the business model, this does not depend on the intentions for an individual instrument, but rather the determination is made for a set of instruments, taking into account the frequency, amount and calendar of sales in previous financial years, the reasons for said sales and expectations of future sales. The infrequent or insignificant sales, those near to the maturity of the asset and driven by increased credit risk of the financial assets or to manage the concentration risk, among others, can be compatible with the model of holding assets to receive contractual cash flows.
More specifically, the fact that the Group expects to make regular sales, focusing on loans (or similar financial assets) that have experienced a drop in credit risk levels, is not inconsistent with how those loans are classified under a business model that holds financial assets to receive contractual cash flows. These sales are not counted for the purpose of determining the frequency of sales and their materiality will, therefore, remain separate from the tracking ratios.
If a financial asset contains a contractual condition under which the schedule or amount of its contractual cash flows can be modified (e.g. if the asset can be redeemed in advance or if maturity can be extended), the Group determines whether the contractual cash flows generated by the instrument over its life are solely principal and interest payments on the outstanding principal. To this end, the contractual cash flows that may be generated before and after the change to the schedule or the amount of the contractual cash flows are taken into consideration.
In turn, in the case of a financial asset with a periodic adjustment of the interest rate, but where the frequency of this adjustment does not match the term of the reference interest rate (e.g., the interest rate is adjusted every three months to the one-year rate), at the time of the initial recognition, the Group assesses this mismatch in the interest component to determine whether the contractual cash flows represent solely principal and interest payments on the amount of principal outstanding.
The contractual conditions that, at the time of the initial recognition, have a minimum effect on the cash flows or depend on exceptional and highly unlikely events taking place (such as liquidation of the issuer) do not prevent the asset from being classified in the amortised cost portfolio or fair value portfolio with changes recorded in other comprehensive income.
Financial liabilities are classified under: “Financial liabilities held for trading”, “Financial liabilities designated at fair value through profit or loss” and “Financial liabilities measured at amortised cost”, unless they must be presented under “Liabilities included in disposal groups classified as held for sale” or relate to “Fair value changes of the hedged items in portfolio hedge of interest rate risk” or “Derivatives - Hedge accounting”, which are presented separately.
Particularly, the portfolio "Financial liabilities at amortised cost": includes financial liabilities not classified as financial liabilities held for trading or as other financial liabilities at fair value through profit or loss. The balances recognised in this category, irrespective of the substances of the contractual arrangement and maturity of such liabilities, arise from the ordinary capture activities of credit institutions.
Upon initial recognition, all financial instruments are recognised at fair value. For the financial instruments that are not registered at fair value through profit or loss, the fair value amount is adjusted, adding or deducting transaction costs directly attributable to the acquisition or issuance thereof. In the case of financial instruments at fair value through profit or loss, the directly attributable transaction costs are immediately recognised in the statement of profit or loss.
The transaction costs are defined as expenses directly attributable to the acquisition or drawdown of a financial asset, or to the issuance or assumption of a financial liability, which would not have been incurred if the Group had not made the transaction. These include fees paid to intermediaries (such as prescribers); mortgage arrangement expenses borne by the Group and part of the personnel expenses in the Risk Acceptance Centres. Under no circumstances are the internal administrative costs or those deriving from prior research and analysis considered transaction costs.
The Group uses analytical accounting tools to identify direct and incremental transaction costs of asset operations. These costs are included in determining the effective interest rate, which is reduced for financial assets, thus, the costs are accrued throughout the duration of the transaction.
After its initial recognition, the Group measures a financial asset at amortised cost, at fair value with changes in other comprehensive income, at fair value through profit or loss, or at cost.
The receivables for trading operations that do not have a significant financing component and the commercial loans and short-term debt instruments that are initially measured by the price of the transaction or its principal, respectively, continue to be measured by said amount less the correction of value due to estimated impairment as described in Note 2.7.
The income and expenses of financial instruments are recognised according to the following criteria:
Porfolio |
Recognition of income and expenses |
|
|---|---|---|
Financial assets |
At amortised cost |
Accrued interest: recorded in the statement of profit or loss using the effective interest rate of the transaction on the gross carrying amount of the transaction (except in the case of non-performing assets, where it is applied to the net carrying amount). Oher changes in fair value: income or expense when the financial instrument is derecognised from the balance sheet, reclassified or when losses occur due to impairment or gains are produced by its subsequent recovery. |
Measured at fair value through profit or loss |
Fair value changes: fair value changes are recorded directly in the statement of profit or loss, and a differentiation is made - for non-derivative instruments - between the part attributable to the returns earned by the instrument, which will be recorded as interest or as dividends according to its nature, and the rest, which will be recorded as results of financial operations in the corresponding balance item. Accrued interest: on these debt instruments, calculated using th effective interest method. |
|
At fair value with changes in other comprehensive income (*) |
Interests or dividends earned, in the statement of profit or loss. For interest, the same as assets at amortised cost. The differences in a change in the statement of profit or loss in the case of monetary financial assets, and in other comprehensive income, in the case of non-monetary financial assets. For the case of debt instrumets, impairment losses or gains due to their subsequent recovery in the statement of profit or loss. The remaining changes in value are recognised in other comprehensive income. |
|
Financial liabilities |
At amortised cost |
Accrued interest: recorded in the statement of profit or loss using the effective interest rate of the operation on the gross carrying amount of the operation, except in the case of Tier 1 issuances, in which the discretionary coupons are recognised in reserves. Other changes in fair value: income or expense when the financial instrument is derecognised from the balance sheet or reclassified. |
Measured at fair value through profit or loss |
Changes in fair value: changes in the value of a financial liability designated at fair value through profit or loss, in the case of applying in the following manner: a) The amount of the change in the fair value of the fiancial liability attributable to changes in the credit risk of said liability is recognised in other comprehensive income, which would be directly transferred to a reserve item if the aforementioned financial liability is derecognised, and b) the remaining amount of the change in the fair value of the liability is recognised in the profit or loss for the year. Accrued interest: on these debt instruments, calculated using the effective interest method. |
|
(*) Thus, when a debt instrument is measered at fair value with changes in other comprehensive income, the amounts that will be recognised in the profit or loss for the year will be the same as those that would be recognised if it were meaured at amortised cost.
When a debt instrument at fair value with changes in other comprehensive income is derecognised from the balance sheet, the profit or loss accumulated in equity is reclassified, and recorded in the statement of profit or loss for the period. In turn, when an equity intrument at fair value with changes in other comprehensive income is derecognised from the bajance sheet, the amount of the loss or gain recorded in other accumulated comprehensive income is not reclassified to the statement of profit or loss, but instead to a reserve balance item.
For each of the aforementioned porfolios, the recognition would change if said instruments from part of a hedging relationship (see section 2.3).
According to the provisions set out in IFRS 9, only in the event the Group decides to change its financial asset management business model, would all the affected financial assets be reclassified. This reclassification would be carried out prospectively from the date of the reclassification. In accordance with the IFRS 9 approach, in general, changes in the business model occur very infrequently. Financial liabilities cannot be reclassified between portfolios.
2.3
The Group uses financial derivatives as a financial risk management tool, mainly interest rate risk in the banking book (see Note 3). When these transactions meet certain requirements, they qualify for hedge accounting.
Since 1 January 2018, the Group has applied the provisions of IFRS 9 relating to hedge accounting, since it is deemed that this option best suits the risk management strategy of the Group, since there are changes with respect to IAS 39 in a number of areas, such as hedged items, hedging instruments, the accounting of the time value of options and the assessment of effectiveness, which enable the expansion of the transactions to which hedge accounting is applied and facilitate the application of hedge accounting.
When a transaction is designated as a hedge, this is done at inception of the transaction or of the instruments included in the hedge and a technical note of the transaction is documented in accordance with the regulations in force. The hedge accounting documentation duly identifies the hedging instrument or instruments, and the hedged item or forecast transaction, the nature of the risk to be hedged and the way in which the Group assesses whether the hedging relationship meets the requirements of hedging effectiveness (together with the analysis of the causes of failed protection and the way in which the coverage ratio is determined).
For the purpose of verifying the effectiveness requirement:
There must be an economic relationship between the hedged item and the hedging instrument;
The credit risk of the hedged item's counterparty or of the hedging instrument should not have a dominant effect on changes in value resulting from said economic relationship; and
It is essential to comply with the coverage ratio of the hedging accounting relationship, which is defined as the relationship between the quantity of the hedged item and the quantity of the hedging instrument, and it must be the same as the coverage ratio used for management purposes.
Fair value hedges hedge the exposure to changes in fair value of financial assets and liabilities or unrecognised firm commitments, or an identified portion of such assets, liabilities or firm commitments, that is attributable to a particular risk and could affect the statement of profit or loss.
In fair value hedges, the gains or losses on the hedging instrument or on the hedged item for the portion attributable to the hedged risk are recognised in an asymmetrical way according to whether the hedged element is a debt instrument or an equity instrument:
Debt instruments: In fair value hedges, the gains or losses on the hedging instrument or on the hedged item for the portion attributable to the hedged risk are recognised in the statement of profit or loss, in the "Gains/(losses) from hedge accounting, net" section. Particularly, in fair value macro-hedges, gains or losses arising on the hedged items are balanced in “Assets – Fair value changes of the hedged items in portfolio hedge of interest rate risk” or “Liabilities – Fair value changes of the hedged items in portfolio hedge of interest rate risk” depending on the substance of the hedged item, rather than in the items under which the hedged items are recognised.
Equity instruments: the gains or losses on the hedging instrument or on the hedged item for the portion attributable to the hedged risk are recognised in the section "Accumulated other comprehensive income – Items that will not be reclassified to profit or loss – Failed fair value hedges of equity instruments measured at fair value with changes in other comprehensive income" of the balance sheet.
When hedging derivatives no longer meet the requirements for hedging accounting, they are reclassified as trading derivatives. The amount of the previously registered adjustments to the hedged item is attributed as follows:
Debt instruments: they are recognised in the heading "Gains/(losses) from hedge accounting, net" of the statement of profit or loss using the effective interest rate method at the date hedge accounting is discontinued.
Equity instruments: are reclassified to reserves under the heading "Accumulated other comprehensive income – Elements that will not be reclassified to profit or loss – Failed fair value hedges of equity instruments measured at fair value with changes in other comprehensive income" of the balance sheet.
Cash flow hedges hedge exposure to variability in cash flows that is attributable to a particular risk associated with a recognised financial asset or liability or with a highly probable forecast transaction and could affect profit or loss.
The amount adjusted on the hedging item is recognised in “Accumulated other comprehensive income – Items that may be reclassified to profit or loss – Hedging derivatives. Reserve of cash flow hedges [effective portion]" where they will remain until the forecast transaction occurs, at which point it will be recognised in "Gains/(losses) from hedge accounting, net" of the statement of profit or loss. However, if it is expected that the transaction will not be carried out, it will be recognised immediately in the statement of profit or loss.
In cash flow hedges, the portion of the hedging instrument that qualifies as an effective hedge is recognised temporarily in “Accumulated other comprehensive income – Items that may be reclassified to profit or loss – Hedging derivatives. Cash flow hedges” in equity until the hedged transactions occur. At this moment, the amounts previously recognised in equity are taken to the statement of profit or loss in a symmetrical manner to the hedged cash flows. The hedged items are recognised using the methods described in Note 2.2, without any changes for their consideration as hedged instruments.
2.4
A financial asset and a financial liability are offset and the net amount presented in the balance statement when, and only when, the Entity has a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and intends either to settle on a net basis, or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously, taking the following into consideration:
The legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts should not be contingent on a future event and must be legally enforceable in all circumstances, including cases of default or insolvency of any or all of the counterparties.
Settlements that meet the following requirements are considered equivalent to 'net settlement': they totally eliminate or result in insignificant credit and liquidity risk; and settlement of the asset and liability is made in a single settlement process.
A breakdown of the offset transactions are presented below:
31-12-2019 |
31-12-2018 |
31-12-2017 |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gross amount recorded (A) |
Offset amount (B) |
Net amount in balance sheet (C=A-B) |
Gross amount recorded (A) |
Offset amount (B) |
Net amount in balance sheet (C=A-B) |
Gross amount recorded (A) |
Offset amount (B) |
Net amount in balance sheet (C=A-B) |
|
Trading derivatives * |
4,188 |
4,188 |
0 |
0 |
24 |
24 |
0 |
||
Loans and advances * |
2,372 |
2,372 |
0 |
||||||
Loans and advances (Reverse repurchase agreement)** |
990 |
990 |
0 |
1,012 |
1,012 |
0 |
6,729 |
6,729 |
0 |
Loans and advances (Tax lease transaction) |
572 |
572 |
0 |
410 |
410 |
0 |
244 |
244 |
0 |
Total assets |
8,122 |
8,122 |
0 |
1,422 |
1,422 |
0 |
6,997 |
6,997 |
0 |
Trading derivatives * |
8,015 |
8,015 |
0 |
0 |
221 |
24 |
197 |
||
Financial liabilities at amortised cost (Other financial liabilities)* |
(1,455) |
1,455 |
|||||||
Financial liabilities at amortised cost (Tax lease) |
991 |
990 |
1 |
2,595 |
1,012 |
1,583 |
6,993 |
6,729 |
264 |
Financial liabilities at amortised cost (Repurchase agreement) ** |
572 |
572 |
0 |
410 |
410 |
0 |
244 |
244 |
0 |
Total liabilities |
9,578 |
8,122 |
1,456 |
3,005 |
1,422 |
1,583 |
7,458 |
6,997 |
461 |
(*) With regard to offsetting the trading derivatives held via clearing houses LCH and EUREX, the offsetting criteria established in IAS 32 have been met since 31 December 2019.
(**) Collateral exchange operations implemented through repos, whereby separate cancellation is not permitted. They are generally carried out at 12 months.
2.5
All or part of a financial asset is derecognised when the contractual rights to the cash flows from the financial asset expire or when the entity transfers the asset to an unrelated third party.
The accounting treatment of transfers of financial assets depends on the extent to which the risks and rewards associated with ownership of the transferred assets are transferred to third parties:
If all the risks and rewards of ownership of the transferred asset are substantially transferred (such as in the case of, among others: unconditional sales, a sale with an option to repurchase the financial asset at its fair value at the time of repurchase, a sale of a financial asset together with a put or call option that is deep out of the money, or asset securitisations in which the transferor does not retain any subordinated loans and does not provide any type of credit enhancement to the new owners), it is derecognised, and any rights or obligations retained or arising as a result of the transfer are simultaneously recognised.
If the risks and rewards of ownership of the transferred financial asset are substantially retained (such as in the case of, among others: sale and repurchase transactions where the repurchase price is a fixed price or the sale price plus a lender’s return, a securities lending agreement under which the borrower has the obligation to return the securities or similar), it is not derecognised and continues to be measured by the same criteria used before the transfer and the following are recognised:
A financial liability equal to the consideration received, which is subsequently measured at amortised cost, unless it meets the requirements to be classified under other liabilities at fair value through profit or loss; and
The income generated on the transferred (but not derecognised) financial asset and the expenses of the new financial liability, without offsetting.
If substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership of the transferred financial asset are neither transferred nor retained (such as in the case of, among others, a sale of a financial asset together with a put or call option that is neither deep-in-the-money nor deep-out-of-the-money, securitisations in which the transferor assumes a subordinated loan or other type of credit enhancement for part of the transferred asset), the following distinction is made:
If the transferor does not retain control over the financial asset transferred, it is derecognised and any right or obligation retained or arising from the transfer is recognised; or
If the transferor retains control over the financial asset transferred, it continues to recognise the asset for an amount equal to its exposure to changes in value of the asset, recognising a liability associated with the financial asset transferred. The net amount of the transferred asset and the associated liability shall be the amortised cost of the rights and obligations retained, if the asset is measured at amortised cost, or at fair value of the rights and obligations retained, if the transferred asset is measured at fair value.
According to the terms of the transfer agreements in place, virtually the entire portfolio of loans and receivables securitised by the Group does not need to be written off the balance sheet.
Financial liabilities shall equally be derecognised when the obligation specified in the contract is discharged or cancelled or expires.
2.6
Financial guarantees are defined as contracts whereby the issuer thereof undertakes to make specific payments to reimburse the creditor for the loss incurred when a specific debtor fails to meet its payment obligations, irrespective of the legal form of the obligation, such as deposits (including those to participate in auctions and tenders), financial and technical guarantees, irrevocable documentary credits, insurance contracts or credit derivatives.
Financial deposits comprise all manner of deposits that directly or indirectly guarantee debt securities such as loans, credit facilities, finance leases and deferred payment arrangements for all types of debt.
All these operations are recognised under the memorandum item “Guarantees given” in the balance sheet.
Financial guarantees and guarantee contracts are recognised upon execution at fair value plus transaction costs, which is equal to the premium received plus the present value of the future cash flows, under "Financial assets at amortised cost” with a balancing entry in “Financial liabilities at amortised cost – Other financial liabilities” or “Other liabilities”. Fair value changes of the contracts are recognised as financial income in the statement of profit or loss.
Financial guarantee and guarantee contract portfolios, regardless of the guarantor, instrumentation or other circumstances, are reviewed periodically so as to determine the credit risk to which they are exposed and, if appropriate, estimate any provision required. The credit risk is determined by applying criteria similar to those established for quantifying impairment losses on debt securities measured at amortised cost as set out in Note 23, except in the case of technical guarantees, where the criteria set out in Note 2.20 are applied.
Provisions set aside for this type of arrangement are recognised under "Provisions – Commitments and guarantees given" on the liability side of the balance sheet, and under "Provisions – Other provisions"; as regards the latter, if the financial guarantees given are classified as written-off operations pending execution by third parties. Additions to and reversals of provisions are recognised in “Provisions or reversal of provisions” in the statement of profit or loss.
Should it become necessary to establish provisions for these financial guarantees, any fees that may accrue on these transactions in future which would be recognised in “Financial liabilities at amortised cost – Other financial liabilities” are reclassified to “Provisions – Commitments and guarantees given”.
No significant guarantees or collateral were received with regard to which there is authorisation to sell or repledge without default by the owner of the guarantee or collateral, except for the collateral inherent to the Group's treasury activity (see Note 3.12).
2.7
The Group applies the requirements on impairment of debt instruments that are measured at amortised cost and at fair value with changes in other comprehensive income, as well as other exposures that involve credit risk, such as loan commitments given, financial guarantees given and other commitments given.
The aim of the regulatory accounting framework requirements as regards impairment is to ensure recognition of the credit losses of operations, assessed collectively or individually, considering all the reasonable and substantiated information available, including information of a prospective nature.
Impairment losses on debt instruments in the period are recognised as an expense under the heading "Impairment or reversal of impairment losses on financial assets not measured at fair value through profit or loss or net profit or loss due to a change" in the statement of profit or loss. The impairment losses of debt instruments at amortised cost are recognised against a corrective account of provisions that reduces the carrying amount of the asset, whereas those of instruments at fair value with changes in other comprehensive income are recognised against accumulated other comprehensive income.
The hedges to cover impairment losses in exposures involving credit risk other than debt instruments are recorded as a provision under the heading "Provisions – Commitments and guarantees given" on the liabilities side of the balance sheet. Additions to and reversals of these hedges are recognised charged under the heading “Provisions or reversal of provisions” in the statement of profit or loss.
For the purpose of recording the hedging for impairment losses of debt instruments, the following definitions must be taken into account in advance:
A
Credit losses: these correspond to the difference between all the contractual cash flows owed to the Group in accordance with the financial asset's contract and all the cash flows that it is due to receive (i.e. all the insufficiency of cash flows), discounted at the original effective interest rate or, for financial assets that were purchased with or that originated with credit impairment, discounted at the effective interest rate adjusted to reflect credit quality, or the interest rate on the date referred to in the financial statements in the case of a variable rate.
In the case of the granted loan commitments, the contractual cash flows that would be owed to the Group in the event the loan commitment were drawn down are compared to the cash flows that it would expect to receive if the commitment were drawn down. In the case of financial guarantees given, the payments that the Group expects to receive are taken into account, less the cash flows that are expected to be received from the guaranteed holder.
The Group estimates the cash flows of the operation during its expected life taking into account all the contractual terms and conditions of the operation (such as early repayment, extension, redemption and other similar options). In extreme cases when it is not possible to reliably estimate the expected life of the operation, the Group uses the remaining contractual term of the operation, including extension options.
The cash flows taken into account include those deriving from the sale of collateral, taking into account the cash flows that would be obtained from the sale thereof, less the amount of the costs required to obtain them, maintenance and their subsequent sale, or other credit improvements that form an integral part of the contractual conditions, such as financial guarantees received.
If the Group's current non-performing asset reduction strategy expects loan sales and other accounts receivable whose credit risk has increased (exposure classified at Stage 3), then the Group will retain any asset affected by this strategy under the model for retaining assets to receive their contractual cash flows, thus they are measured and classified in the portfolio of "Financial assets at amortised cost", provided that their flows only include payments of principal and interest. Similarly, until they no longer intend to make sales, the corresponding credit risk provision takes into account the price to be received from a third party.
B
Expected credit losses: these are the weighted average of the credit losses, using as weighting the respective risks of default events. The following distinction will be taken into account:
The amount of the hedges to cover impairment loss is calculated according to whether there has been a significant increase in credit risk since the operation's initial recognition, and whether a default event has occurred:
Observed impairment of credit risk since its initial recognition |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Credit risk category |
Performing Stage 1 |
Watch-liperforming Stage 2 |
Non-performing Stage 3 |
Write-off
|
Classification and transfer criteria |
Operations whose credit risk has not significantly increased since their initial recognition. |
Operations whose credit risk has significantly increased (SICR), but they do not have any default events. |
Operations with credit impairment. |
Operations without reasonable expectations of recovery. |
Default event: with amounts past due of over 90. |
||||
Calculation of the impairment hedge |
Expected credit losses at twelve months. |
Expected credit losses during life of the operation. |
The recognition in results of losses for the carrying amount of the operation and the total derecognition of the asset. |
|
Interest calculation and recognition |
It is calculated by applying the effective interest rate to the gross carrying amount of the operation. |
it is calculated by applying the effective interest rate at amortised cost (adjusted to reflect any impairment value correction). |
It is not recognised in the income statement. |
|
Included operations |
Initial recognition of the financial instruments. |
Operations included in sustainability agreements that have not completed the trial period. |
Doubtful due to borrower arrears: operations with amounts past due of over 90 days. Transactions where all holders are classified as non-performing (personal risk criteria). |
Operations with remote recovery possibility. |
Operations made by insolvent borrowers that should not be classified as non-performing or write-off. |
Partial write-offs without the extinction of the rights (partial write-off). |
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Refinanced or restructured operations that should not be reclassified as non-performing and that are still in the trial period. |
Doudtful for reasons other than borrower arrears:
|
Operations that are non-performing due to borrower arrears in excess of 4 years when the amount not secured by effective guarantees is fully covered for more than 2 years (except when it has effective collaterals that cover at least 10% of the gross amount. |
||
Operations with amounts past due of over 30 days. |
||||
Operations for which, through market indicators/triggers, it is possible to determine that a significant increase of risk has occurred. |
Operations with all the holders in insolvency proceedings in the liquidation phase (unless they have effective collaterals that cover at least 10% of the gross amount). |
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The Group classifies as impairments the debt instruments, whether due or not, for which after analysing them individually, it considers the possibility of recovery to be remote and proceeds to derecognise them, without prejudice to any actions that may be initiated to seek collection until their contractual rights are extinguished definitively by expiry of the statute-of-limitations period, forgiveness or any other cause.
This category includes i) non-performing operations due to customer arrears older than four years, or, before the end of the four-year period when the amount not secured by effective guarantees is fully covered for more than two years, and ii) operations made by borrowers declared to be insolvent which have entered or will enter the liquidation phase. In both cases, the operations are not considered to be write-offs if they have effective collateral that covers at least 10% of its gross carrying amount.
Notwithstanding the above, to reclassify operations to this category before these terms expire, the Group must demonstrate these operations' remote recuperability.
Based on the Group's experience of recoveries, it deems the recovery of the remaining balance of mortgage operations remote when there is no additional collateral once the good has been recovered, and therefore, the aforementioned remainder is classified as a write-off.
When the contractual cash flows of a financial asset are modified or the financial asset is replaced with another, and the modification or exchange does not cause it to be derecognised from the balance sheet, the Group recalculates the gross carrying amount of the financial asset, taking into account the modified flows and the effective interest rate applicable before the modification, and recognises any difference that emerges as a loss or gain due to a change in the profit or loss of the period. The amount of the directly attributable transaction costs raises the carrying amount of the modified financial asset and it will be amortised during the remainder of its life, which will require the company to recalculate the effective interest rate.
Regardless of its subsequent classification, in the event that an operation is bought with or originates with credit impairment, its hedging would be equal to the accumulated amount of the changes in the credit losses after the initial recognition and the interest income of these assets would be calculated by applying the effective interest rate adjusted to reflect credit quality at the amortised cost of the instrument.
2.8
According to the provisions of the regulation, these relate to operation in which the customer has, or will foreseeably have, financial difficulty in meeting its payment obligations under the contractually agreed terms and, therefore, has amended the agreement, cancelled the agreement and/or arranged a new operation.
These operations may derive from:
A new transaction (refinancing operation) granted that fully or partially cancels other transactions (refinanced operations) previously granted by any Group company to the same borrower or other companies forming part of its economic group that become up-to-date on its payments for previously past-due loans.
The amendment of the contractual terms of an existing operation (restructured operations) that changes its repayment schedule (grace periods, extension of loan maturities, reduction in interest rates, changes in the repayment schedule, extension of all or part of the capital on maturity, etc.).
The activation of contract clauses agreed at source that extend the debt repayment terms (flexible grace period).
The partial cancellation of the debt without the contribution of funds by the customer (foreclosure, purchase or received in lieu of payment of the collateral, or forgiveness of capital, interest, fees and commissions or any other cost relating to the loan extended to the borrower).
The existence of previous defaults is an indication of financial difficulty. Unless otherwise demonstrated, a restructuring or refinancing operation is assumed to exist when the amendment to contractual terms affects operations that have been past due for more than 30 days at least once in the three months prior to the amendment. However, previous defaults are not a requirement for an operation to be classified as refinanced or restructured.
The cancellation of an operation, changes in the contractual terms or the activation of clauses that delay payments when the customer is unable to meet future repayment obligations can also be classified as refinancing/restructuring.
In contrast, debt renewals and renegotiations may be granted when the borrower does not have, or is not expected to have, financial difficulties; i.e. for business reasons, not to facilitate repayments.
For an operation to be classified as such, the borrower must have the capacity to obtain credit from the market, at the date in question, for a similar amount and on similar terms to those offered by the Bank. In turn, these terms must be adjusted to reflect the terms offered to borrowers with a similar risk profile.
In general, refinanced or restructured operations and new operations carried out for refinancing are classified in the watch-list performing category. However, according to the particular characteristics of the operation they may be classified as non-performing when they meet the general criteria for classifying debt securities as such, and specifically i) operations backed by an unsuitable business plan, ii) operations that include contractual clauses that delay repayments in the form of interest-only periods longer than 24 months, and iii) operations that include amounts that have been removed from the balance sheet having been classified as unrecoverable that exceed the coverage applicable according to the percentages established for operations in the watch-list performing category.
Refinanced or restructured operations and new operations carried out for refinancing are classified as watch-list performing for a trial period until all the following requirements are met:
After reviewing the borrower’s asset and financial position it is concluded that they are unlikely to have financial difficulties and therefore it is highly probable that they will meet their obligations vis-a-vis the entity in both time and form.
A minimum period of two years has elapsed from the date of authorisation of the restructuring or refinancing operation, or, if later, from the date of its reclassification from the non-performing category.
The borrower has covered all the principal and interest payments from the date of authorisation of the restructuring or refinancing operation, or, if later, from the date of its reclassification from the non-performing category. Additionally: i) the borrower has made regular payments of an amount equivalent to the whole amount (principal and interest) falling due at the date of the restructuring or refinancing operation, or that were derecognised as a result of it; or ii) when it is deemed more appropriate given the nature of the operations, the borrower complies with other objective criteria that demonstrate their payment capacity.
If there are contractual clauses that may delay repayments, such as grace periods for the principal, the operation will remain classified as watch-list performing until all criteria are met.
The borrower must have no other operations with past due amounts for more than 30 days at the end of the period.
When all the above requirements are met, the operations are no longer classified as refinancing, refinanced or restructured operations in the financial statements.
During the previous trial period, further refinancing or restructuring of the refinancing, refinanced or restructured operations, or the existence of amounts that are more than 30 days overdue in these operations, will mean that the operations are reclassified as non-performing for reasons other than arrears, provided that they were classified in the non-performing category before the start of the trial period.
Refinanced and restructured operations and new operations carried out for refinancing remain classified as non-performing until they meet the general criteria for debt instruments; specifically the following requirements:
A period of one year has elapsed from the refinancing or restructuring date.
The borrower has covered all the principal and interest payments (i.e. they are up to date on payments) thereby reducing the renegotiated principal, from the date of authorisation of the restructuring or refinancing operation, or, if later, from the date of its reclassification to the non-performing category.
The borrower has made regular payments of an amount equivalent to the whole amount (principal and interest) falling due at the date of the restructuring or refinancing operation, or that were derecognised as a result of it, or, when it is deemed more appropriate given the nature of the operations, the borrower complies with other objective criteria that demonstrate their payment capacity.
The borrower has no other operations with past due amounts for more than 90 days at the date the refinancing or restructured operation is reclassified to the watch-list performing category.
2.9
The Group’s functional and presentation currency is the euro. Consequently, all non-euro balances and transactions are foreign currency balances and transactions.
All foreign currency transactions are recorded, on initial recognition, by applying the spot exchange rate between the functional currency and the foreign currency.
At the end of each reporting period, foreign currency monetary items are translated to euros using the average exchange rate prevailing on the spot currency market at the end of each period. Non-monetary items that are measured in terms of historical cost in a foreign currency are translated to euros using the exchange rate at the date of acquisition. Non-monetary items measured at fair value in a foreign currency are translated to euros using the exchange rates at the date when the fair value is determined.
Unmatured forward foreign exchange purchase and sale transactions not considered as hedges are translated to euros at the year-end exchange rates on the forward currency market.
The exchange rates used in translating the foreign currency balances to euros are those published by the European Central Bank (ECB) at 31 December of each year.
The exchange differences arising on the translation of foreign currency balances and transactions to the reporting currency of the Group are generally recognised under “Exchange differences (net)” in the statement of profit or loss. However, exchange differences arising on changes in the value of non-monetary items are recognised under “Equity – Accumulated other comprehensive income – Items that may be reclassified to profit or loss – Exchange differences” in the balance sheet, and exchange differences arising on financial instruments classified as at fair value through profit or loss are recognised in the statement of profit or loss with no distinction made from other changes in fair value.
Income and expenses are translated at the closing exchange rate of each month.
2.10
The main policies applied to recognise income and expenses are as follows:
Characteristics |
Recognition |
||
|---|---|---|---|
Interest income, interest expenses, dividends and similar items |
Interest income, interest expense and similar items. |
Recognised on an accrual basis, using the effective interest method, regardless of when the resulting monetary or financial flow arises, as previously described. |
|
Dividends received. |
Recognised as income when the right to receive payment is established. This is when the dividend is officially declared by the company's relevant body. |
||
Fees collected/paid* |
Credit fees They are an integral part of the yield or effective cost of a financing operation. They are received in advance. |
Fees received by creating or acquiring financing operations that are not measured at fair value through profit or loss: (i.e.: remuneration from activities such as the assessing and recording various guarantees, negotiating the terms and conditions of operations, preparing and processing documentation and closing the operation). |
They are deferred and are recognised over the life of the transaction as an adjustment to the return or effective cost of the operation. |
Fees negotiated as compensation for the commitment of grating financing when this commitment is not measured at fair value through profit or loss and it is likely that the Group enters into a specific loan agreement. |
They are deferred, deposited over th life of the transaction as an adjustment to the return or effective cost of the operation. If the commitment expires and the company has not made the loan, the fee is recognised as income at the time of expiry. |
||
Fees paid when issuing financial liabilities at amortised cost. |
They are included together with any related direct cost in the carrying amount of the financial liability, and deposited as an adjustment to the effective cost of the operation. |
||
|
Non-credit fees This includes those deriving from different provisions for the various financial services of the financing operations. |
Those related to the execution of a service provided over time (i.e. the fees for the administration of accounts and those received in advance for the issuance or renewal of credit cards). |
They will be registered over time, measuring the progress towards full compliance with the execution obligation. |
|
Those related to the provision of a service that is executed at a specific time (i.e.: subscription of securities, currency exchange, advice or loan syndication). |
They are registered in the income statement upon collection. |
||
Other non-financial income and expenses |
Other income from ordinary activities: |
|
|
(*) Exceptions: Fees for the financial instruments that are measured by their fair value through profit or loss and the non-availability fee (in operations where drawing down funds is optional for the credit holder) are immediately registered in the statement of profit or loss.
The accrued fees deriving from typical products or services of the financial activity are presented separate to those deriving from products and services that do not correspond to typical activity, which are presented under the heading "Other operating income" in the statement of profit or loss.
In particular the Group adheres to the following stages:
Phase 1 |
Identification of the contract (or contracts) with the customer and of the obligation or obligations arising out of the execution of the contract. |
The Group assesses the commited goods or services and identifies - as an execution obligation - each commitment to transfer to the customer:
|
|
Phase 2 |
Determining the price of the transaction. |
Defined as the amount of the payment to which the Group expects to have th right in exchange for delivering the goods or providing the services, excluding amounts charged on behalf of third parties, such as indirect taxes, and not considering any cancellations, renewals or modifications to the contract. The price of the transaction can consist of fixed or variable amount, orboth, and may vary due to discounts, subsidies, reductions or other similar elements. Similarly, the price will be variable when the right to charge for the transaction depends on whether a future event will occur. To reach the transaction price it will be necessary to deduct discounts, subsidies or commercial reductions. If the price includes a variable payment, the Group initially estimates the amount of the payment to which it will have the right, either as an expected value, or as the amount in the most probable scenario. This amount is included, in whole or in part, in the transaction price only inasmuch as it is highly probable that there will be no significant reversal in the amount of the accumulated income recognised by the contract. At the end of each period, the Group updates the estimate of the transaction, the Group adjusts the amount of the payment to take into account the time value of the money when the agreed payment schedule provides the customer or the company with a significant financing profit. The discount rate used is that which would be used in an independent financing transaction between the company and its customer at the start of the contract. This discount rate is not subject to subsequent updates. Notwithstanding the above, the Group does not update the amount of the payment if, at the start of the contract, the maturity is likely to be equal to or less than a year. |
|
Phase 3 |
Allocation of the price of the transaction between the execution obligations. |
The Group distributes the price of the transaction in such a way that each execution obligation identified in the contract is assigned an amount that represents the payment that it will obtain in exchange for trasferring to the customer the good or service committed in this execution obligation. This amount is allocated based on the corresponding independent selling prices of the goods and services subject to each execution obligation. The best evidence of an independent selling price is its observable price, if these goods or services are sold separately in similar circumstances. The Group allocates to the different execution obluigations of the contract any subsequent change in the estimate of the transaction price on the same basis as at the start of the contract. |
|
Phase 4 |
Recognition of the income inasmuch as the company complies with its obligations. |
The Group recognises as income the amount of the transaction price allocated to an execution obligation, inasmuch as it meets this obligation by transferring the committed good or service to the customer. |
|
As for the accounting of the costs related to the contracts, the costs of obtaining a contract are those which the Group incurs to obtain a contract with a customer and which it would not have incurred if the Group had not entered into said contract.
They are recognised as an asset if they are directly related to a contract that can be identified specifically and the Group expects to recover them. In this case, they are amortised systematically and consistent with the transfer to the customer of the contractually related goods or services. However, if the asset's repayment period is equal to or less than one year, these costs are not recognised as an asset and are recorded as an expense.
2.11
Collective investment institutions and pension funds managed by Group companies are not presented on the face of the Group's balance sheet since the related assets are owned by third parties. The fees and commissions earned in the period from this activity are included under “Fee and commission income” in the statement of profit or loss.
2.12
Employee benefits include all forms of consideration given in exchange for services rendered to the Group by employees or for benefits payable after completion of employment. They can be classified into the following categories:
These are employee benefits (other than termination benefits) which fall due wholly within 12 months after the end of the period in which the employees render the related service. It includes wages, salaries and social security contributions; paid annual leave and paid sick leave; profit-sharing and bonuses; and non-monetary benefits payable to employees such as medical care, housing, cars and free or subsidised goods or services.
The cost of services rendered is recognised under "Administrative expenses – Personnel expenses" of the statement of profit or loss, except for part of the personnel costs of the Risk Acceptance Centres which are presented as a smaller financial margin of the operations to which they are associated and certain incentives for the personnel of the branch network for the marketing of products, including insurance policies, which are also presented with a reduced financial margin or under the heading of expenses from liabilities under insurance reinsurance contracts.
Credit facilities made available to employees at below market rates are considered to be non-monetary benefits and are calculated as the difference between market rates and the rates agreed with employees. The difference is recognised under “Administrative expenses – Personnel expenses” with a balancing entry under “Interest income” in the statement of profit or loss.
The delivery of shareholder equity instruments to employees as payment for their services – when such a delivery is made upon completion of a specific period of services – is recognised as a services expense, insomuch as it is provided by employees, with a balancing entry under the heading "Shareholders' Equity - Other equity items" elements.
On the date the equity instruments are granted, these services – as well as the corresponding equity increase – will be measured at the fair value of the services received, unless it cannot be reliably estimated, in which case they will be measured indirectly with reference to the fair value of the granted equity instruments. The fair value of these equity instruments will be determined on the date they are granted.
When external market conditions are established – among the requirements laid down in the remuneration agreement –, their performance will be taken into account when estimating the fair value of the granted equity instruments. In turn, variables that are not considered market variables are not taken into account when calculating the fair value of granted equity instruments, but they are considered when determining the number of instruments to be delivered. Both effects will be recognised in the statement of profit or loss and in the corresponding increase in equity.
In the case of share-based payment transactions that are cash-settled, an expense with a balancing entry will be recorded on the liabilities side of the balance sheet. Up to the date on which the liability is settled, this liability will be measured at its fair value, recognising value changes in the profit/(loss) for the period.
As an exception to the provision of the previous paragraph, share-based payment transactions that have a net-settlement feature to satisfy tax withholding obligations will be classified in their entirety as share-based payment transactions settled through equity instruments if, in the absence of the net-settlement feature, they have been classified as such.
Post-employment benefits are all those undertaken with employees, to be paid after completion of their employment with the Group. They include: retirement benefits, such as pensions and one-off retirement payments; and other post-employment benefits, such as post-employment life insurance and post-employment medical care, at the end of the employment relationship.
The post-employment obligations with employees are deemed to be defined contribution obligations when the Group makes pre-determined contributions to a separate entity or pension fund and has no legal or constructive obligation to make further contributions if the separate entity or fund cannot pay the employee benefits relating to the service rendered in the current and prior periods. Defined contribution plans each year are recognised under “Administrative expenses – Personnel expenses” in the statement of profit or loss. Post-employment obligations that do not meet the aforementioned conditions are considered defined benefit obligations.
The present value of defined benefit post-employment obligations, net of the value of plan assets, is recorded under “Provisions – Pensions and other post-employment defined benefit obligations” in the balance sheet.
Plan assets are defined as follows:
The assets held by a long-term employee benefit fund, and
Qualifying insurance policies; those issued by an insurer that it is not a related part of the Group.
In the case of the assets held by a benefit fund, they must be assets:
Held by a fund that is legally separate from the Group and exists solely to pay or finance employee benefits, or
They are solely available to pay or finance post-employment remuneration, they are not available to cover the debts of Group creditors (not even in the event of bankruptcy), and they cannot be returned to the Group unless (i) the remaining assets of the plan are sufficient to meet all the related employee benefit obligations of the plan or CaixaBank, or (ii) are used to reimburse it for post-employment benefits the Group has already paid to employees.
In the case of insurance policies, the defined benefit commitments assured through policies taken out with the entities that are not considered related parties also meet the requirements to be considered plan assets.
The value both of the assets held by a pension fund, as well as qualifying insurance policies is recognised as a decrease in the value of the liabilities under “Provisions – Pensions and other post-employment defined benefit obligations”. When the value of plan assets is greater than the value of the obligations, the net positive difference is recognised under “Other assets”.
The assets and liabilities of subsidiaries that include the mathematical provisions of the policies taken out directly by CaixaBank are included on consolidation. Therefore, in this process the amount under “Liabilities under insurance contracts” is deducted and the investments in financial instruments under policies are registered.
Post-employment benefits are recognised as follows:
Current service cost, understood as the increase in the present value of obligations arising from employee service in the current period, recognised under "Administrative expenses – Personnel expenses".
Past service cost, resulting from amendments to existing post-employment benefits or the introduction of new benefits, and the cost of curtailments, recognised under "Provisions or reversal of provisions".
Any gain or loss arising on settlement of a plan is recognised in "Provisions or reversal of provisions".
Understood to be the change during the period in the net defined benefit liability/(asset) that arises from the passage of time, is recognised in "Interest expense", or "Interest income" if it results in income, in the statement of profit or loss.
Actuarial gains and losses arising in the period from differences between the previous actuarial assumptions and what has actually occurred and from changes in the actuarial assumptions used.
The return on plan assets, excluding the amounts included in the net interest on the liability/(asset) for defined benefit post-employment benefits.
Any change in the impact of the asset ceiling, excluding the amounts included in the net interest on the liability/(asset) for defined benefit post-employment benefits.
In addition to the accounting policy change stated in Note 1, the accounting recognition criterion of the actuarial gains and losses on equity deriving from the measurement of the assets and liabilities to the Group's pension commitments have been amended during 2019. Following on from this, the actuarial losses and gains previously recognised under the heading “Shareholders' equity - Retained earnings” and “Shareholders' equity - Other reserves” are now shown under the heading “Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income – Items that will not be reclassified to profit or loss - Actuarial gains or losses on defined benefit pension plans”.
Other long term employee benefits, understood as obligations with pre-retired employees (those who have ceased rendering services but who, without being legally retired, continue to enjoy economic rights vis-à-vis the Entity until they acquire the status of legally retired), long-service bonuses and similar items, are treated for accounting purposes, where applicable, as established for defined benefit post-employment plans, except that the actuarial gains and losses are recognised in "Provisions or reversal of provisions" in the statement of profit or loss.
These benefits are payable as a result of an Entity’s decision to terminate an employee’s employment before the normal retirement date, a valid expectation raised in the employee or an employee’s decision to accept voluntary redundancy in exchange for those benefits.
A liability and an expense for termination benefits are recognised when there is no realistic possibility of withdrawing the offer to pay the termination benefits or when the costs for restructuring – which involves the payment of termination benefits – are recognised. These amounts are recognised as a provision under "Provisions – Other long-term employee benefits” in the balance sheet until they are settled.
In the case of payments of over 12 months, the same treatment is applied as for the other long-term employee benefits.
2.13
The expense for Spanish income tax is considered to be a current expense and is recognised in the statement of profit or loss, except when it results from a transaction recognised directly in equity, in which case the corresponding tax effect is recognised in equity.
Income tax expense is calculated as the sum of the current tax for the year resulting from applying the tax rate to the taxable profit for the year and any changes in deferred tax assets and liabilities recognised in the year in the statement of profit or loss, less any allowable tax deductions.
Temporary differences, tax loss carryforwards pending offset and unused tax deductions are recognised as deferred tax assets and/or deferred tax liabilities. The amounts are recognised at the tax rates that are expected to apply when the asset is realised or the liability is settled.
All tax assets are recognised under “Tax assets” in the balance sheet as current, for amounts to be recovered in the next 12 months, or deferred, for amounts to be recovered in future reporting periods.
Similarly, tax liabilities are recognised in “Tax liabilities" in the balance sheet, also by current and deferred. Current tax liabilities include the amount of tax payable within the next 12 months and deferred tax liabilities as the amount expected to be paid in future periods.
Deferred tax liabilities arising from temporary differences related to investments in subsidiaries, associates or joint ventures are not recognised when the Group is able to control the timing of the reversal of the temporary difference and, in addition, it is probable that the temporary difference will not reverse.
Deferred tax assets are only recognised when it is probable that they will be reversed in the foreseeable future and it is estimated that there is sufficient taxable profit against which they can be used.
2.14
They include the amount of property, land, furniture, vehicles, IT equipment and other facilities owned or acquired under a lease, as well as assets leased out under and operating lease.
Property, plant and equipment for own use includes assets held by the Group for present or future administrative uses or for the production or supply of goods and services that are expected to be used over more than one financial period.
It reflects the carrying amounts of land, buildings and other constructions – including those received by the Bank for the total or partial settlement of financial assets that represent collection rights vis-a-vis third parties – owned to obtain rental income or gains through sale.
Tangible assets are generally stated at acquisition cost less accumulated depreciation and any impairment losses determined by comparing the carrying amount of each item to its recoverable amount.
Depreciation is calculated using the straight-line method on the basis of the acquisition cost of the assets less their net carrying value. Land is not depreciated since it is considered to have an indefinite life.
The depreciation charge is recognised with a balancing entry under “Depreciation and amortisation” in the statement of profit or loss and is calculated basically using the depreciation rates set out in the table below, which are based on the years of estimated useful life of the various assets.
Estimated useful life |
|
|---|---|
Constructions |
|
Buildings |
16-50 |
Facilities |
8-25 |
Furniture and fixtures |
4-50 |
Electronic equipment |
3-8 |
Other |
7-14 |
At the end of each reporting period, the Group assesses tangible assets for any indications that their net carrying amount exceeds their recoverable amount, understood as fair value less costs to sell and value in use.
Any impairment loss determined is recognised with a charge to “Impairment/(reversal) of impairment on non-financial assets – Tangible assets” in the statement of profit or loss and a reduction to the carrying amount of the asset to its recoverable amount. After the recognition of an impairment loss, the depreciation charges for the asset in future periods are adjusted in proportion to its revised carrying amount and remaining useful life.
Similarly, when there are indications of a recovery in the value of the assets, a reversal of the impairment loss recorded in prior periods is recognised and the depreciation charge for the asset in future periods is adjusted. In no circumstances may the reversal of an impairment loss on an asset raise its carrying amount above that which it would have if no impairment losses had been recognised in prior years.
Likewise, the estimated useful lives of tangible assets are reviewed each year or whenever indications are noted which make it advisable to do so and, where appropriate, the depreciation charges are adjusted in the statement of profit or loss of future years.
Upkeep and maintenance expenses are recognised under “Administrative expenses – Other administrative expenses” in the statement of profit or loss. Similarly, operating income from investment properties is recognised under “Other operating income” in the statement of profit or loss and the related operating expenses under “Other operating expenses”.
2.15
Intangible assets are identifiable non-monetary assets without physical substance acquired from third parties or developed internally.
Goodwill represents the payment made by the acquirer in anticipation of future economic benefits from assets that are not capable of being individually identified and separately recognised. Goodwill is only recognised in the acquisition of a business combination for valuable consideration.
In business combinations, goodwill arises as the positive difference between:
The consideration transferred plus, as appropriate, the fair value of any previously-held equity interest in the acquiree and the amount of minority interests; and
The net fair value of the identifiable assets acquired less the liabilities assumed.
Goodwill is recognised in "Intangible assets – Goodwill" and is not amortised.
At the end of each reporting period or whenever there are indications of impairment, an estimate is made of any impairment that reduces the recoverable amount to below carrying amount and, where there is impairment, the goodwill is written down with a balancing entry in "Impairment/(reversal) of impairment on non-financial assets – Intangible assets" in the statement of profit or loss. Impairment losses recognised for goodwill are not reversed in a subsequent period.
This includes the amount of other identifiable intangible assets, such as assets arising in business combinations and computer software.
Other intangible assets have an indefinite useful life when, based on an analysis of all the relevant factors, it is concluded that there is no foreseeable limit to the period over which the asset is expected to generate net cash inflows for the Group, and a finite useful life in all other cases.
Intangible assets with an indefinite life are not amortised. However, at the end of each reporting period, or whenever there is any indication of impairment, the remaining useful lives of the assets are reviewed in order to determine whether they continue to be indefinite and, if this is not the case, to take the appropriate steps.
Intangible assets with a finite useful life are amortised over the useful life, applying policies similar to those followed for the depreciation of tangible assets.
Any impairment losses on assets with either indefinite or finite useful lives are recognised with a balancing entry in “Impairment/(reversal) of impairment on non-financial assets – Intangible assets” in the statement of profit or loss. The policies for recognising impairment losses on these assets and for reversing impairment losses recognised in prior years are similar to those for tangible assets.
Software is recognised as an intangible asset when, among other requirements, it is capable of being used or sold, and it is identifiable and its ability to generate future economic benefits can be demonstrated.
Expenses incurred during the research phase are recognised directly in the statement of profit or loss for the period in which they are incurred, and cannot subsequently be capitalised.
Almost all software recorded under this chapter of the balance sheet has been developed by third parties and is amortised with an average useful life of between 4 and 15 years.
2.16
This item in the balance sheet includes non-financial assets held for sale in the ordinary course of business, that are in the process of production, construction or development for such sale, or that are to be consumed in the production process or in the rendering of services.
Inventories are measured at the lower of cost, including borrowing costs, and net realisable value. Net realisable value is defined as the estimated selling price less the estimated costs of production and the estimated costs necessary to make the sale. The accounting principles and measurement bases applied to assets received as payments of debts classified under this item are the same as those set out in Note 2.17. These assets are classified as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy.
The cost of inventories of items that are not ordinarily interchangeable and of goods and services produced and segregated for specific projects is determined individually, while the cost of other inventories is assigned mainly by using the First-In-First-Out method (FIFO) or weighted average cost formula, as appropriate.
Any write-downs to inventories or subsequent reversals of write-downs are recognised under “Impairment/(reversal) of impairment on non-financial assets – Other” in the statement of profit or loss for the year in which the write-down or reversal occurs.
When inventories are sold, the carrying amount of those inventories is derecognised and an expense recognised in the statement of profit or loss for the period in which the related revenue is recognised. The expense is recognised under “Other operating expenses” in the statement of profit or loss.
2.17
The carrying amount of these assets will be recovered principally through a sale transaction.
Assets recognised under this heading in the balance sheet reflect the carrying amount of individual assets or disposal groups, or assets that form part of a line of business that will be disposed of (discontinued operation) whose sale is highly probable in their present condition within one year from the reporting date. Assets that will be disposed of within a year but where disposal is delayed by events and circumstances beyond the Group’s control may also be classified as held for sale, when there is sufficient evidence that the Company is still committed to selling them. The carrying amount of these assets will be recovered principally through a sale transaction.
Specifically, real estate or other non-current assets received as total or partial settlement of debtors’ payment obligations in credit operations are recognised under "Non-current assets and disposal groups classified as held for sale" unless it has been decided to make continuing use of the assets.
The Group has centralised the ownership of virtually all the real estate assets acquired or foreclosed in payment of debts in its subsidiary BuildingCenter, SAU, in a bid to optimise management.
Non-current assets classified as held for sale are generally measured initially at the lower of the carrying amount of the financial assets and their fair value less costs to sell the asset to be foreclosed:
To estimate provisions for the financial assets, the estimated fair value less the costs to sell the asset to be foreclosed are taken as the recoverable value of the guarantee when the Company’s sales experience attests to its ability to realise this asset at fair value. This recalculated carrying amount is compared with the previous carrying amount and the difference is recognised as an increase or a release of provisions as appropriate.
To determine the fair value less the costs to sell the asset to be foreclosed, the Company uses the market value extended in the full individual ECO appraisal at the time of foreclosure or reception. Internal valuation models are used to calculate the adjustment to be applied to this market value in order to estimate the discount on the reference price and the costs to sell. These in-house models factor in prior sales experience for similar assets in terms of price and volume.
When the fair value less costs to sell exceeds the carrying amount, the Group recognises the difference in the statement of profit or loss, as an impairment reversal, up to the limit of the impairment accumulated as from the initial recognition of the foreclosed asset.
After the initial recognition, the Group compares the carrying amount with the fair value less costs to sell, recognising any possible additional impairment in the statement of profit or loss. For this purpose, the main valuation used to estimate fair value is updated by the Group. In line with the procedure followed in the initial recognition process, the Group also applies an adjustment, based on the internal models, to the main valuation.
Impairment losses on an asset or disposal group are recognised under "Profit/(loss) from non-current assets and disposal groups classified as held for sale not qualifying as discontinued operations, net" in the statement of profit or loss. Gains on a non-current asset held for sale resulting from subsequent increases in fair value (less costs to sell) increase its carrying amount and are recognised in the same statement of profit or loss item up to an amount equal to the previously recognised impairment losses.
Non-current assets held for sale are not depreciated while they are classified as held for sale.
2.18
The means of identifying and accounting for leasing operations in which the Group acts as lessor or lessee, are set out below:
At the beginning or when the contract conditions are modified
(*) The Group accounts for each lease component within the contract as a lease separately from non-lease components of the contract. For any contracts that have a leasing component and one or more additional leasing components, or other that are not related to leasing, the contract payment will be distributed to each leasing component on the basis of the relative price, independent of the leasing component, and on the basis of aggregate price, independent of the componets that are not related to leasing.
According to the economic fund of the operation, independent of its legal form
Financial leases |
Operating leases |
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Operations in which, substantially, all the risks and benefits that fall on the leased asset are transferred to the lessee. |
Operations in which, substantially, all the risks and benefits that fall on the leased asset, and also its property, are maintained by the lessor. |
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These are registered as financing in the section entitled "financial assets at amortised cost" of thw balance sheet for the sum of the updated value of the charges receivable from the lessee during the term of the lease and any unguaranteed residual value corresponding to the lessor. These include fixed charges (minus the payments made to the lessee) and specific variable charges subject to an index or rate, as well as the price of exercising the call option, if there is reasonable certainy that the lessee will inceed exercise this option, and the penalties for rescission by the lessee, if the term of the lease reflects the exercise of the option to rescind. |
The cost of purchasing the leased assets is recorded in the section “Tangible assets" of the balance sheet. |
Any financial income obtained as a lessor is registered in the profit and loss account in the section “Interest icome”. |
These are amortised with the same criteria as those used for the rest of own-use tangible assets. Income appears in the section “Other operating income” of the profit and loss account. |
Term of the contract |
Fixed-term contracts with or without the early termination option in favour of the Entity and without permission from the other party (with only a non-significant compensation): Generally, the lease term matches the initial agreed duration. Fixed-term contracts with the option to renew on the part of the Entity and without permission from the other party: it has been surmised that this option will be exercised, considering that there are financial incentives an in light of the Company's past practices. The term of specific contracts can be affected as a result of possible restructuring plans undertaken by the Company. |
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At the beginning date of the contract |
Subsequently |
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Accounting record |
Contrats with a term longer than 12 months or contracts in wich the underlying asset does not have a low value (set at 6,000 euros) |
Lease liability ("Other financial liabilities") |
A lease liability is valued based on the current value of any lease payments that have not been paid by said date using, as a discount rate, the interest rate that the lessee would have to pay to borrow - with a similar term and guarantee - the funds necessary to purchase an asset whose value is similar to that of the right-of-use asset in an similar economic climate. This rate is called "additional financing rate”*. |
It is valued at amortised cost using the effective interest rate method and is revalued (with the corresponding adjustment in the relative right-of-use asset) when there is a change in the future lease payments during renegotiation, changes to an index or rate or a new evaluation of contract options. |
Right-of-use asset ("Tangible assets - Plots and buildings") |
The asset is valued at cost and includes the amount of the initial valuation of the lease liability, the payments made on or before the start date and the initial direct costs, dismantling costs or restoring costs when there is obligation to bear the same. |
it is amortised on a straight-line basis and is subject to any loss due to depreciation, where applicable, in accordance with the procedure established for the rest of the tangible and intangible assets. |
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Rest of contracts |
Lease liabilities are recorded as operating leases. |
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(*) The Group has calculated the additional financing rate, taking the issued debt instruments - mortgage bonds and senior debt - as a reference, which are weighted according to the issue capacity of each one. The Group uss a specific rate according to the term of the operation and the business (Spain or Portugal) where the agreements are formalised.
When the Group acts as seller-lessee:
If the Group does not retain control of the asset:
It derecognises the sold asset.
It values the right-of-use asset derived from the subsequent lease at an amount equal to the part of the prior carrying amount of the leased asset corresponding to the proportion represented by the right of use withheld by the bank from the value of the sold asset.
A lease liability is recognised.
If th Group retains control of the asset:
It does not derecognise the sold asset.
It recognises a financial liability for the amount of the received payment.
The results generated in the operation are recognised immediately in the profit loss account if it is determined that a sale has taken place (only for the amount of the profit or loss in relation to trnsferred rights of the asset), in such a way that the buyer-lessor acquires control of asset.
The Group has established approcedure to carry out a prospective follow-up of the operation, paying special attention to the evolution on the market of office rental pricess in comparison to the fixed contractual rents and to the situation of the sold assets.
2.19
Contingent assets arise from unplanned or other unexpected events that give rise to the possibility of an inflow of economic benefits. Contingent assets are not recognised in financial statements, except where an inflow of economic benefits is practically certain. If there is a probable inflow of economic benefits, the group discloses the contingent asset.
Contingent assets are assessed continually to ensure that developments are appropriately reflected in the financial statements.
2.20
Provisions cover present obligations at the date of preparation of the financial statements arising from past events which could give rise to a loss considered likely to occur; and is certain as to its nature but uncertain as to its amount and/or timing.
The financial statements include all the material provisions with respect to which it is considered more likely than not that the obligation will have to be settled. Provisions are recognised on the liability side of the balance sheet in accordance with the obligations covered.
Provisions, which are quantified based on the best information available on the consequences of the event giving rise to them and are re-estimated at the end of each reporting period, are used for specific expenditures for which the provision was originally recognised. Provisions are fully or partially reversed when the obligations cease to exist or are reduced.
The tax contingency policy is to set aside provisions for the possible tax expense and late-payment interest arising from the income tax assessments initiated by the tax authorities for the main applicable taxes, irrespective of whether an appeal has been lodged. Meanwhile, provisions are made for legal suits, in those instances where there is over a 50% probability of losing the case.
When there are present obligations but they are not likely to give rise to an outflow of resources, they are recorded as contingent liabilities. Contingent liabilities may develop in a way not initially expected. Therefore, they are assessed continually to determine whether an outflow of resources embodying economic benefits has become probable. If it becomes more probable than not that an outflow of future economic benefits will be required, a provision is recognised in the balance sheet.
Provisions are recognised under "Provisions" on the liability side of the balance sheet in accordance with the obligations covered. Contingent liabilities are recognised under memorandum items in the balance sheet.
2.21
The Group's insurance companies (VidaCaixa and BPI Vida y Pensiones) have made use of the temporary exemption from IFRS 9, which is why its financial instruments are presented in accordance with IAS 39 in the heading "Assets under the insurance business" of the accompanying balance sheet (see Notes 1 and 17).
Financial assets are presented in the balance sheet, grouped in the section "Assets under the insurance business" in different categories in which they are classified for management and assessment purposes, and which are described below:
This item mainly comprises financial assets or liabilities acquired or issued for the purpose of selling in the short term or which are part of a portfolio of identified financial instruments managed together and for which there is evidence of a recent pattern of short-term profit-taking. Financial liabilities held for trading also comprise short positions arising from sales of assets acquired temporarily under a non-optional reverse repurchase agreement or borrowed securities. Also included as financial assets or liabilities held for trading are derivative assets and liabilities that do not meet the definition of a financial guarantee contract and have not been designated as hedging instruments.
Includes, where applicable, financial instruments designated upon initial recognition, e.g. hybrid financial assets or liabilities mandatorily measured in full at fair value, or with financial derivatives, the purpose of which is to mitigate the exposure to changes in fair value, or managed as a group with financial liabilities and derivatives to mitigate the overall exposure to interest rate risk. In general, the category includes all financial assets and liabilities when such designation eliminates or significantly reduces a measurement or recognition inconsistency (accounting mismatches) that would otherwise arise. Financial instruments in this category must be subject at all times to an integrated and consistent measurement system, management and control of risks and returns permitting verification that risk has effectively been mitigated. Financial assets and liabilities may only be included in this category on the date they are acquired or originated.
Includes debt securities and equity instruments not classified under any of the preceding categories.
Includes financing granted to third parties through ordinary lending and credit activities carried out by said subsidiaries, their receivables from policyholders and for debt securities not quoted in an active market.nen de un precio cotizado en un mercado activo.
All financial instruments are initially recognised at their fair value, which, unless there is evidence to the contrary, is the transaction price.
Subsequently, at a specified date, the fair value of a financial instrument is the amount for which an asset could be exchanged, or a liability settled, between knowledgeable, willing parties in an arm’s length transaction. The most objective reference for the fair value of a financial instrument is the price that would be paid for it on an active, transparent and deep market. Accordingly, the quoted or market price is used.
If there is no market price, fair value is estimated on the basis of the price established in recent transactions involving similar instruments and, in the absence thereof, of valuation techniques commonly used by the international financial community, always taking into account the specific features of the instrument to be measured and, in particular, the various types of risk associated with it.
Any changes in fair value of financial instruments, except for trading derivatives, due to the accrual of interest and similar items, are recognised in the statement of profit or loss of the year of the accrual. Dividends received from other companies are recognised in the statement of profit or loss of the year in which the right to receive the dividend is established.
Changes in fair value after initial recognition for reasons other than those indicated in the preceding paragraph are treated as described below based on the category of financial asset or financial liability:
Financial instruments classified as “Financial assets held for trading”, “Financial assets designated at fair value through profit or loss”, “Financial liabilities held for trading” and “Financial liabilities designated at fair value through profit or loss” are measured initially at fair value, with any changes in fair value recognised with a balancing entry in the statement of profit or loss.
In turn, financial instruments classified as "Available-for-sale financial assets" are initially measured at fair value, with subsequent changes, net of the related tax effect, recognised with a balancing entry in "Equity – Accumulated other comprehensive income – Items that may be reclassified to profit or loss – Available-for-sale financial assets” and “Equity – Accumulated other comprehensive income – Items that may be reclassified to profit or loss – Foreign currency exchange” in the balance sheet.
Derivatives are recognised in the balance sheet at fair value. When derivatives are entered into, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, fair value is the transaction price. The derivative is recognised as an asset if the fair value is positive and a liability if it is negative. For derivatives classified in Levels 1 and 2 of the fair value hierarchy (see section on "Fair value of financial instruments" of this Note), if the price differs from the fair value when the derivative is entered into, the difference is recognised immediately in the statement of profit or loss.
Subsequent changes in fair value of derivatives are recognised in the statement of profit or loss, except with cash flow hedges, in which case they are recognised under "Equity – Accumulated other comprehensive income – Items that may be reclassified to profit or loss – Hedging derivatives. Cash flow hedges.
Derivatives embedded in other financial instruments or in other contracts are treated as separate derivatives when their risks and characteristics are not closely related to those of the instrument or host contract, provided a reliable fair value can be attributed to the embedded derivative taken separately.
Financial instruments classified as “Loans and receivables” and “Financial liabilities at amortised cost” are measured at amortised cost. Amortised cost is acquisition cost, minus principal repayments and plus or minus the cumulative amortisation (as reflected in the statement of profit or loss by the effective interest rate method) of any difference between the initial amount and the maturity amount. And, in the case of assets, minus any allowances for impairment.
The effective interest rate is the discount rate that exactly equates the initial value of a financial instrument to the estimated cash flows for all items until the instrument matures or is cancelled. For fixed-rate financial instruments, the effective interest rate coincides with the contractual interest rate plus any commission or transaction costs included in its yield. Where the fixed rate of interest is contingent, the Group includes it in the estimate of the effective interest rate only if it is highly probable that the triggering event will be reached. For floating-rate financial instruments, the effective interest rate is calculated as a fixed rate until the next reference rate reset.
At the close of the financial year, the amounts of financial assets under IAS 39 processing reclassified in previous financial years were not significant.
A financial asset is considered to be impaired when there is objective evidence of an adverse impact on the future cash flows that were estimated at the transaction date, where the borrower is unable or will be unable to meet its obligations in time or form, or when the asset’s carrying amount may not be fully recovered. However, a decline in fair value to below the cost of acquisition is not in itself evidence of impairment.
As a general rule, the carrying amount of impaired financial instruments is adjusted with a charge to “Impairment or reversal of impairment on financial assets not measured at fair value through profit or loss and net profit or loss due to a change” in the statement of profit or loss for the period in which the impairment becomes evident. The reversal, if any, of previously recognised impairment losses is recognised in the same item in the statement of profit or loss for the period in which the impairment no longer exists or has decreased.
For the case of debt instruments at amortised cost, the categories specified in section 2.7 remain, although the calculation of the hedges is based on the provisions of IAS 39. The calculated hedging or provision is defined as the difference between the gross carrying amount of the transaction and the estimated value of future expected cash flows, discounted at the original effective interest rate of the transaction. Effective guarantees received are taken into consideration. For the purposes of estimating hedging, the amount of the risk for debt instruments is the gross carrying amount, and for off-balance exposures, the estimated value of the disbursements.
Both transactions classified as not bearing appreciable risk and those that, due to their type of collateral, are classified as not bearing appreciable risk, could have 0% hedging. This percentage will only be applied to the hedged risk.
The accounting policy referring to the recognition of losses due to impairment of the categories of available-for-sale instruments is described below:
The market value of quoted debt securities is deemed to be a reliable estimate of the present value of their future cash flows.
When there is objective evidence that the negative differences arising on measurement of these assets are due to impairment, they are removed from “Equity – Accumulated other comprehensive income – Items that may be reclassified to profit or loss – Available-for-sale financial assets” and the cumulative amount considered impaired at that date is recognised in the statement of profit or loss. If all or part of the impairment loss is subsequently reversed, the reversed amount is recognised in the statement of profit or loss for the period in which the reversal occurs.
When there is objective evidence of impairment, such as a fall of 40% of its fair value or a situation of continued losses over a period of more than 18 months, the unrealised losses are recognised in accordance with the impairment loss recognition criteria applied to debt securities classified as available for sale, with the exception that any recovery arising on these losses is recognised under “Equity – Accumulated other comprehensive income – Items that may be reclassified to profit or loss – Available-for-sale financial assets”.
When testing for impairment, the Group considers whether there are any legal, market, technological or other factors in the environment in which the assessed entity operates that could suggest the cost of the investment will not be recovered. The price volatility of each security is also individually considered to determine what share may be recovered through the sale thereof on the market. These considerations may result in different thresholds for certain securities or sectors to those mentioned in the previous paragraph.
The impairment loss on equity instruments measured at cost is the positive difference between the carrying amount and the present value of the expected future cash flows discounted at the market rate of return for similar securities. In estimating the impairment of this type of asset, account is taken of the equity of the investee, except for “Accumulated other comprehensive income” due to cash flow hedges, determined on the basis of the latest approved balance sheet, adjusted for the unrealised gains at the measurement date. Impairment losses are recognised in the statement of profit or loss for the period in which they arose, as a direct reduction of the cost of the instrument.
Furthermore, the chapter "Assets under the insurance business – under insurance and reinsurance contracts" of the balance sheet also covers the amounts that the consolidated companies have the right to receive that originate from reinsurance contracts that they hold with third parties, and more specifically, the share of the reinsurance in the technical provisions constituted by the consolidated insurance companies.
The chapter "Liabilities under the insurance business" of the balance sheet covers the technical provisions of the direct insurance and of the accepted reinsurance recorded by the consolidated companies to cover the obligations originating from insurance contracts that they hold that are in force at the close of the period. The main components of technical provisions are as follows:
The provision for unearned premiums includes the proportion of premiums written in the year that must be allocated to the period between the close of the reporting period and the expiry of the policy period.
The provision for unexpired risks is designed to complement the provision for unearned premiums by the amount which is not sufficient to cover the measurement of all the risks and expenses corresponding to the coverage period not elapsed at the end of the period.
Consists mainly of the mathematical provisions of the insurance contracts and the provision for unearned premiums of insurance contracts with a period of coverage equal to or less than one year. Mathematical provisions represent the excess of the current actuarial value of the future obligations of subsidiary insurance companies over that of the premiums which the policyholder must satisfy.
They correspond to the technical provisions of insurance contracts where the investment risk is born by the policyholder.
This represents the total amount of outstanding liabilities on claims occurring before the end of the reporting period. The Group calculates this provision as the difference between the total estimated or exact cost of the claims that have occurred and are pending declaration, settlement or payment, including external and internal expenses for handling and processing the files, and the combined amount of the amounts already paid as a result of the claims.
These include the benefits accrued to the policyholders or beneficiaries and not yet assigned at the end of the reporting period. Not included is the effect of allocating part of the unrealised gains on the investment portfolio to policyholders.
Technical provisions linked to risks assigned to reinsurers are calculated on the basis of the reinsurance contracts entered into and by applying criteria similar to those used for direct insurance.
Additionally, the Group has applied the accounting option provided for in IFRS 4 named "shadow accounting", whereby the insurer is permitted to change its accounting policies so that a recognised but unrealised gain or loss on an asset related to insurance contracts affects those measurements of liabilities under insurance contracts in the same way as a realised gain or loss does. The related adjustment to the insurance liability (or deferred acquisition costs or intangible assets) shall be recognised in the statement of profit or loss in other comprehensive income if, and only if, the unrealised gains or losses are recorded in other recognised income and expense.
The Group carries out an annual liability adequacy test in order to identify any provision shortfall and to make the related provision. Otherwise, if the result of the liability adequacy test shows that the provisions recognised were adequate or that excess provisions were recognised, the Group adopts the principle of prudence as established in IFRS 4. The liability adequacy test consists of assessing liabilities under insurance contracts based on the most up-to-date estimates of future cash flows from their contracts in relation to the assets covered. In this respect, it determines:
The difference between the carrying amount of the insurance contracts less any related deferred acquisition costs and any related intangible assets, and the present value of contractual cash flows from the insurance contracts and any related cash flows, such as claims handling costs, as well as cash flows resulting from embedded options and guarantees.
The difference between the carrying amount and the present value of projected cash flows from the financial assets related to the insurance contracts.
The future estimated cash flows arising from insurance contracts and affected financial assets are discounted subject to a yield curve of assets with high credit quality (Spanish sovereign debt). In order to estimate future cash flows arising from insurance contracts, the surrender rates observed in the portfolio in accordance with the average over the last three years for Pensión 2000 and PPA, and the average observed over the last five years for other products are taken into consideration. In addition, sensitivity exercises are carried out with regard to the discount curve used. This sensitivity analysis consists of entering a drop in the interest rate of 100, 150 and 200 basis points of the discount curve used, and an increase of 80, 100 and 200 basis points.
The Group does not unbundle any deposit component of insurance contracts. This unbundling is voluntary. In addition, the fair value of the policyholders’ option to surrender insurance contracts is estimated to be zero, otherwise it is measured as part of the value of the insurance contract liabilities.
2.22
The following terms are used in the presentation of the statement of cash flows:
Inflows and outflows of cash and cash equivalents, which are short-term, highly liquid investments that are subject to an insignificant risk of changes in value.
The indirect method is used to present cash flows from operating activities, which are the principal revenue-producing activities of credit institutions and other activities that are not investing or financing activities.
The acquisition, sale or other disposal of long-term assets, such as equity investments and strategic investments, and other investments not included in cash and cash equivalents.
Activities that result in changes in the size and composition of equity and liabilities that do not form part of operating activities, such as subordinated financial liabilities. The issues placed on the institutional market are classified as financing activities, whereas the issues placed on the Spanish retail market are classified as operating activities.
2.23
This statement presents the income and expense recognised as a result of the Group’s activity in the period, with a distinction between those taken to profit or loss in the statement of profit or loss and other comprehensive income directly in equity.
2.24
This statement presents all changes in the Group’s consolidated equity, including those due to accounting policy changes and error corrections. This statement presents a reconciliation between the carrying amount of each component of equity at the beginning and the end of the period, grouping movements by nature under the following headings:
Particularly, the headings 'Accumulated gains' and 'Other reserves' contain:
