| y) | Share-based payments |
Employees of the Group receive remuneration in the form of share-based payments, whereby employees render services as consideration for equity instruments (equity-settled transactions) or share appreciation rights, which are settled in cash (cash-settled transactions).
Equity-settled transactions
The cost of equity-settled transactions is determined by the fair value at the date when the grant is made using an appropriate valuation model.
That cost is recognized, together with a corresponding increase in capital surplus in equity, over the period in which the performance and/or service conditions are fulfilled in employee benefit expenses. The cumulative expense recognized for equity-settled transactions at each reporting date until the vesting date reflects the extent to which the vesting period has expired and the Group’s best estimate of the number of equity instruments that will ultimately vest.
When the terms of an equity-settled award are modified, as a minimum, the services received measured at the grant date, fair value of the equity instruments granted should be recognized, unless those equity instruments do not vest because of failure to satisfy a vesting condition (other than a market condition) that was specified at grant date. An additional expense is recognized for any modification that increases the total fair value of the share-based payment transaction, or is otherwise beneficial to the employee as measured at the date of modification.
Where an equity-settled award is cancelled, it is treated as if it had vested on the date of cancellation, and any expense not yet recognized for the award is recognized immediately. This includes any award where non-vesting conditions within the control of either the Group or the employee are not met. However, if a new award is substituted for the cancelled award, and is designated as a replacement award on the date that it is granted, the cancelled and new awards are treated as if they were a modification of the original award, as described in the previous paragraph.
Cash-settled transactions
The cost of cash-settled transactions is measured initially at fair value at the grant date using an appropriate valuation model. This fair value is expensed over the period until the vesting date with recognition of a corresponding liability. The liability is re-measured to fair value at each reporting date up to, and including the settlement date, with changes in fair value recognized in employee benefit expenses.
Restricted shares
Restricted shares issued to employees are measured at the fair value of the equity instruments granted at the grant date, and are recognized as compensation cost over the vesting period.
For restricted shares where those shares do not restrict distribution of dividends to employees and employees are not required to return the dividends received if they resign during the vesting period, the Group recognizes the fair value of the dividends received by the employees who are expected to resign during the vesting period as compensation cost at the date of dividends declared.
For restricted shares where employees do not need to pay to acquire those shares, if the employees who resign during the vesting period, the Group will recover and retire those shares at no cost.