The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has unanimously approved rules for accounting for the fair value of companies’ cryptocurrency holdings, according to media reports. The rules will go into effect in 2025.
The FASB is the United States organization that sets accounting and reporting standards for organizations that follow U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). It issued a call for comments on proposed changes to the FASB Accounting Standards Codification in March.
The proposal was discussed and put to a vote on Sept. 6.
Fair value is the estimated price of an asset that takes into account current market value and other decisive elements. The FASB had made a “tentative” decision on fair value accounting for crypto assets in October 2022.
Christmas came early for @saylor$MSTR and other companies with Bitcoin on their balance sheets!
FASB is moving to fair value reporting for Bitcoin holdings
Should @Swan host a livestream today to explain the implications?
— Cory Klippsten | Swan.com #Bitcoin (@coryklippsten) September 6, 2023
Previous practice required companies to keep impairment losses from crypto, caused when an asset suddenly loses value, on their balance sheets even after the digital asset regained its value.
The new accounting method will increase volatility in the earnings of companies with large crypto holdings but allow them to record financial recoveries from increasing crypto prices. Companies can begin using fair-value accounting for their crypto immediately if they wish to. FASB member Christine Botosan said:
“It’s not very often that we can both take cost out of the system and improve the decision usefulness of information, and it makes it a really easy vote to do both of those.”
Besides crypto-native companies like Coinbase, the rule change will affect investment companies and companies like MicroStrategy and Tesla that hold large amounts of crypto. MicroStrategy chairman Michael Saylor wrote on X:
“Fair value accounting is coming to #Bitcoin. This upgrade to FASB accounting rules eliminates a major impediment to corporate adoption of $BTC as a treasury asset.”
To accommodate the changes, crypto will become a line item under “intangible assets” in financial accounts.
Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield has resigned from the Labour Party.
The 53-year-old MP is the first to jump ship since the general election and in her resignation letter criticised the prime minister for accepting thousands of pounds worth of gifts.
She told Sir Keir Starmer the reason for leaving now is “the programme of policies you seem determined to stick to”, despite their unpopularity with the electorate and MPs.
In her letter she accused the prime minister and his top team of “sleaze, nepotism and apparent avarice” which are “off the scale”.
“I’m so ashamed of what you and your inner circle have done to tarnish and humiliate our once proud party,” she said.
Since December 2019, the prime minister received £107,145 in gifts, benefits, and hospitality – a specific category in parliament’s register of MPs’ interests.
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Ms Duffield, who has previously clashed with the prime minister on gender issues, attacked the government for pursuing “cruel and unnecessary” policies as she resigned the Labour whip.
She criticised the decision to keep the two-child benefit cap and means-test the winter fuel payment, and accused the prime minister of “hypocrisy” over his acceptance of free gifts from donors.
“Since the change of government in July, the revelations of hypocrisy have been staggering and increasingly outrageous,” she said.
“I cannot put into words how angry I and my colleagues are at your total lack of understanding about how you have made us all appear.”
Ms Duffield also mentioned the recent “treatment of Diane Abbott”, who said she thought she had been barred from standing by Labour ahead of the general election, before Sir Keir said she would be allowed to defend her Hackney North and Stoke Newington seat for the party.
Her relationship with the Labour leadership has long been strained and her decision to quit the party comes after seven other Labour MPs were suspended for rebelling by voting for a motion calling for the two-child benefit cap to be abolished.
“Someone with far-above-average wealth choosing to keep the Conservatives’ two-child limit to benefit payments which entrenches children in poverty, while inexplicably accepting expensive personal gifts of designer suits and glasses costing more than most of those people can grasp – this is entirely undeserving of holding the title of Labour prime minister,” she said.
Ms Duffield said she will continue to represent her constituents as an independent MP, “guided by my core Labour values”.