(9) Financial assets and financial liabilities
1) Financial assets
A regular way purchase or sale is a purchase or sale of a financial asset under a contract whose term requires delivery of the asset within the time frame established generally by regulation or convention in the marketplace concerned.
On initial recognition, financial assets are classified into held-for-trading, designated as at fair value through profit or loss (“FVTPL”), AFS financial assets, held-to-maturity (“HTM”) investments and loans and receivables. Regular way purchases of financial assets classified as loans and receivables are recognized on settlement date; all other regular way transactions in financial assets are recognized on trade date.
a) Held-for-trading:
A financial asset is classified as held-for-trading if it is acquired principally for sale in the near term, or forms part of a portfolio of financial instruments that are managed together and for which there is evidence of short-term profit taking, or it is a derivative (not in a qualifying hedge relationship). Held-for-trading financial assets are recognized at fair value with transaction costs being recognized in net income. Subsequently they are measured at fair value. Gains and losses on held-for-trading financial assets are recognized in net income as they arise.
b) Designated as at FVTPL:
Financial assets may be designated as at FVTPL only if such designation (a) eliminates or significantly reduces a measurement or recognition inconsistency; (b) applies to a group of financial assets, financial liabilities or both, which is managed and performance is evaluated on a fair value basis; or (c) is related to a contract containing one or more embedded derivative that would be required to be separated from the host contract.
Financial assets designated by the Group on initial recognition as at FVTPL are recognized at fair value, with transaction costs recognized in net income, and are subsequently measured at fair value. Gains and losses on financial assets that are designated as at FVTPL are recognized in net income as they arise.
c) AFS financial assets:
Financial assets that are not classified as HTM; held-for-trading; designated as at FVTPL; or loans and receivables, are classified as AFS. Financial assets can be designated as AFS on initial recognition. AFS financial assets are initially recognized at fair value plus directly related transaction costs. They are subsequently measured at fair value. Unquoted equity investments whose fair value cannot be measured reliably are carried at cost and classified as AFS financial assets. Impairment losses in monetary and non-monetary AFS financial assets and dividends on non-monetary financial assets are recognized in net income. Interest revenue on monetary financial assets is calculated using the effective interest method and recognized as a net income. Changes in the fair value of AFS financial assets other than those resulting from retranslation of monetary AFS at the reporting date, and any related tax are reported in a separate component of shareholders’ equity until disposal, and then the cumulative gain or loss is recognized in net income.
d) HTM investments:
A financial asset may be classified as a HTM investment only if it has fixed or determinable payments, a fixed maturity, and the Group has the positive intention and ability to hold the financial asset to maturity. HTM investments are initially recognized at fair value plus directly related transaction costs. They are subsequently measured at amortized cost using the effective interest method less any impairment losses.
e) Loans and receivables:
Non-derivative financial assets with fixed or determinable repayments that are not quoted in an active market are classified as loans and receivables, except those that are classified as AFS or as held-for-trading, or designated as at FVTPL. Loans and receivables are initially recognized at fair value plus directly related transaction costs. They are subsequently measured at amortized cost using the effective interest method less any impairment losses. Interest income is recognized using the effective interest method, except for the short-term receivables to which the present value discount is not meaningful.
2) Financial liabilities
On initial recognition financial liabilities are classified into held-for-trading; designated as at FVTPL; or amortized cost. Issues of equity or financial liabilities measured at amortized cost are recognized on settlement date; all other regular way transactions in financial instruments are recognized on trade date.
a) Held-for-trading:
A financial liability is classified as held-for-trading if it is incurred principally for repurchase in the near term, or forms part of a portfolio of financial instruments that are managed together and for which there is an evidence of short-term profit taking, or it is a derivative (not in a qualifying hedge relationship). Held-for-trading financial liabilities are recognized at fair value with transaction costs being recognized in net income. Subsequently, they are measured at fair value. Gains and losses are recognized in net income as they arise.
b) Designated as at FVTPL:
Financial liabilities may be designated as at FVTPL only if such designation (a) eliminates or significantly reduces a measurement or recognition inconsistency; (b) applies to a group of financial liabilities or both that the Group manages and evaluates on a fair value basis; or (c) relates to an instrument that contains an embedded derivative which is not evidently closely related to the host contract. Financial liabilities that the Group designates on initial recognition as being at FVTPL are recognized at fair value, with transaction costs being recognized in net income, and are subsequently measured at fair value. Gains and losses on financial liabilities that are designated as at FVTPL are recognized in net income as they arise.
c) Amortized cost:
All other financial liabilities are measured at amortized cost using the effective interest method.
3) Reclassifications
Held-for-trading and AFS financial assets that meet the definition of loans and receivables (non-derivative financial assets with fixed or determinable payments that are not quoted in an active market) may be reclassified to loans and receivables if the Group has the intention and ability to hold the financial asset for the foreseeable future or until maturity. The Group typically regards the foreseeable future as twelve months from the date of reclassification. Reclassifications are made at fair value. This fair value becomes the asset’s new cost or amortized cost as appropriate. Gains and losses recognized up to the date of reclassification are not reversed.
4) Derecognition of financial assets and liabilities
The Group derecognizes a financial asset when the contractual right to the cash flows from the asset is expired, or when it transfers the financial asset and substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership of the asset to another company. If the Group neither transfers nor retains substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership and continues to control the transferred asset, the Group recognizes its retained interest in the asset and an associated liability for amounts it may have to pay. If the Group retains substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership of a transferred financial asset, the Group continues to recognize the financial asset and also recognizes a collateralized borrowing for the proceeds received.
On derecognition of a financial asset in its entirety, the difference between the asset’s carrying amount and the sum of the consideration received and receivable and the cumulated gain or loss that had been recognized in other comprehensive income and accumulated in equity is recognized in profit or loss.
On derecognition of a financial assets other than in its entirety (e.g. when the Group retains an option to repurchase part of a transferred asset, or it retains a residual interest and such an retained interest indicates that the transferor has neither transferred nor retained substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership and has retained control of the transferred asset), the Group allocates the previous carrying amount of the financial asset between the part it continues to recognize under continuing involvement, and the part it no longer recognizes on the basis of the relative fair value of those parts on the date of the transfer. The difference between the carrying amount allocated to the part that is no longer recognized and the sum of the consideration received for the part that is no longer recognized and any cumulative gain or loss allocated to it that had been recognized in other comprehensive income is recognized in profit or loss. A cumulative gain or loss that had been recognized in other comprehensive income is allocated between the part that continues to be recognized and the part that is no longer recognized on the basis of the relative fair value of those parts.
The Group derecognizes the financial liability, when Group’s obligations are discharged, cancelled or expired. The difference between paid cost and the carrying amount of financial liabilities is recorded in profit or loss.
5) Fair value of financial assets and liabilities
Financial instruments classified as held-for-trading or designated as at FVTPL and financial assets classified as AFS are recognized in the financial statements at fair value. All derivatives are measured at fair value.
Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in and orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Fair values are determined from quoted prices in active markets for identical financial assets or financial liabilities where these are available. The Group characterizes active markets as those in which transactions for the asset or liability take place with sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis.
Where a financial instrument is not in active market characterized by low transaction volumes, price quotations which vary substantially among market participants, or in which minimal information is released publicly, fair values are established using valuation techniques relying on alternative market data or internally developed models using significant inputs that are generally readily observable from objective sources. Market data includes prices of financial instruments with similar maturities and characteristics, duration, interest rate yield curves, and measures of volatility. The amount determined to be fair value may incorporate the management of the Group’s own assumptions (including assumptions that the Group believes market participants would use in valuing the financial instruments and assumptions relating to appropriate risk adjustments for nonperformance and lack of marketability).
The valuation techniques used to estimate the fair value of the financial instruments include market approach and income approach, each of which involves a significant degree of judgment. Under the market approach, fair value is determined by reference to a recent transaction involving the financial instruments or by reference to observable valuation measures for comparable companies or assets.
Under the income approach, fair value is determined by converting future amounts (e.g., cash flows or earnings) to a single present amount (discounted) using current market expectations about the future amounts. In determining value under this approach, the Group makes assumptions regarding, among other things, revenues, operating income, depreciation and amortization, capital expenditures, income taxes, working capital needs, and terminal value of the financial investments. These valuation techniques involve a degree of estimation, the extent of which depends on the instrument’s complexity and the availability of market-based data.
The following are descriptions of valuation methodologies used by the Group to measure various financial instruments at fair value.
a) Financial assets at FVTPL and AFS financial assets:
The fair value of the securities included in financial assets at FVTPL and AFS financial assets are recognized in the consolidated statements of financial position based on available quoted market prices. For debt securities traded in the OTC market, the Group generally determines fair value based on prices obtained from independent pricing services. Specifically, with respect to independent pricing services, the Group obtains three prices per instrument from reputable independent pricing services in Korea, and generally uses the lowest of the prices obtained from such services without further adjustment. For non-marketable equity securities, the Group obtains prices from the independent pricing services. The Group validates prices received from such independent pricing services using a variety of means, including verification of the qualification of the independent pricing services, corroboration of the pricing by comparing the prices among the independent pricing services and by reference to other available market data, and review of the pricing model and assumptions used by the independent pricing services by the Group’s personnel who are familiar with market-related conditions.
b) Derivative assets and liabilities:
Quoted market prices are used for the Group’s exchange-traded derivatives, such as certain interest rate futures and option contracts. All of the Group’s derivatives that are traded in OTC markets where quoted market prices are not readily available are valued using internal valuation techniques. Valuation techniques and inputs to internally developed models depend on the type of derivative and nature of the underlying rate, price or index upon which the derivative’s value is based. If the model inputs for certain derivatives are not observable in a liquid market, significant judgments on the level of inputs used for valuation techniques are required.
c) Valuation Adjustments:
By using derivatives, the Group is exposed to credit risk if counterparties to the derivative contracts do not perform as expected. If counterparty fails to perform, counterparty credit risk is equal to the amount reported as a derivative asset in the consolidated statements of financial position. The amounts reported as a derivative asset are derivative contracts in a gain position. Few of the Group’s derivatives are listed on an exchange. The majority of derivative positions are valued using internally developed models that use as their basis observable market inputs. Therefore, an adjustment is necessary to reflect the credit quality of each counterparty to arrive at fair value. Counterparty credit risk adjustments are applied to derivative assets, such as OTC derivative instruments, when the market inputs used in valuation models may not be indicative of the creditworthiness of the counterparty. Adjustments are also made when valuing financial liabilities to reflect the Group’s own credit standing.
The adjustment is based on probability of default of a counterparty and loss given default. The adjustment also takes into account contractual factors designed to reduce the Group’s credit exposure to each counterparty. To the extent derivative assets (liabilities) are subject to master netting arrangements, the exposure used to calculate the credit risk adjustment is net of derivatives in a loss (gain) position with the same counterparty and cash collateral received (paid).
6) Impairment of the financial assets
The Group assesses at the end of each reporting date whether there is any objective evidence that a financial asset or group of financial assets classified as AFS, HTM or loans and receivables is impaired. A financial asset or portfolio of financial assets is impaired and an impairment loss incurs if there is an objective evidence of impairment as result of one or more events that occurred after the initial recognition of an asset and that event (or events) has an impact on the estimated future cash flows of the financial asset.
a) Financial assets carried at amortized cost:
If there is an objective evidence that an impairment loss on a financial asset or group of financial assets classified as HTM investments or as loans and receivables has been incurred, the Group measures the amount of the loss as the difference between the carrying amount of the asset or group of assets and the present value of estimated future cash flows from the asset or group of assets discounted at the effective interest rate of the instrument at initial recognition. For collateralized loans and receivables, estimated future cash flows include cash flows that may result from foreclosure less the costs of obtaining and selling the collateral.
Impairment losses are assessed individually for financial assets that are individually significant and assessed either individually or collectively for assets that are not individually significant. In making collective assessment of impairment, financial assets are grouped into portfolios on the basis of similar risk characteristics. Future cash flows from these portfolios are estimated on the basis of the contractual cash flows and historical loss experience for assets with similar credit risk characteristics. Historical loss experience is adjusted, on the basis of observable data, to reflect current conditions not affecting the period of historical experience.
Impairment losses are recognized in net income and the carrying amount of the financial asset or group of financial assets is reduced by establishing a provision for impairment losses. If, in a subsequent period, the amount of the impairment loss reduces and the reduction can be ascribed to an event after the impairment was recognized, the previously recognized loss is reversed by adjusting the provision. Once an impairment loss has been recognized on a financial asset or group of financial assets, interest income is recognized on the carrying amount using the rate of interest at which estimated future cash flows were discounted in measuring impairment.
It is not the Group’s usual practice to write-off the asset at the time an impairment loss is recognized. Impaired loans and receivables are written off (i.e. the impairment provision is applied in writing down the loan’s carrying value in full) when the Group concludes that there is no longer any realistic prospect of recovery of part or the entire loan. Amounts recovered after a loan has been written off are reflected to the provision for the period in which they are received.
b) Financial assets carried at fair value:
When a decline in the fair value of a financial asset classified as AFS has been recognized directly in other comprehensive income and there is an objective evidence that the asset is impaired, the cumulative loss is removed from other comprehensive income and recognized in net income. The loss is measured as the difference between the amortized cost of the financial asset and its current fair value. Impairment losses on AFS equity instruments are not reversed through net income, but those on AFS debt instruments are reversed, if there is a decrease in the cumulative impairment loss that is objectively related to a subsequent event.