Technical perspectives for Gulf finance leaders
Practical articles on IFRS, expected credit loss, employee benefits, public sector accounting and finance operations, written by the practitioners who deliver the work.
All articles
A provision matrix that survives the audit: IFRS 9 for corporate receivables
Most corporate ECL models fail at the same three points. Here is how to build one that auditors accept and finance teams can run every month.
Read the article
IFRS 16 Leases: a practical guide for Saudi and GCC companies
How IFRS 16 works for Saudi lessees: identifying a lease, the incremental borrowing rate in riyals, advance rent, lease term judgements and a worked example with the numbers.
Read the articleIFRS 18 explained: what changes on 1 January 2027 and how Saudi and GCC companies should prepare
IFRS 18 replaces IAS 1 from 1 January 2027: the five income statement categories, new subtotals, management-defined performance measures, IAS 7 changes and a preparation plan.
Read the articleIAS 19 Employee Benefits explained: the four categories and how GCC entities apply them
IAS 19 in plain terms for GCC finance teams: short-term benefits, end-of-service and other post-employment plans, long-term benefits, termination benefits, and where GOSI fits.
Read the articleWithholding tax in Saudi Arabia: rates, filing and the mistakes branches make
Saudi withholding tax rates by payment type, monthly and annual filing, treaty relief, penalties, and the errors foreign branches and regional headquarters make most often.
Read the article
Setting the discount rate for Saudi end-of-service valuations
The discount rate is the single most sensitive assumption in an IAS 19 valuation. In Saudi Arabia it is also the most debated. A practical derivation that auditors accept.
Read the article
Seven questions to ask before outsourcing your Saudi finance function
Outsourced accounting can cut cost and raise quality, or it can create a compliance exposure you discover during a ZATCA review. The difference is in the questions asked before signing.
Read the article
IFRS 16 in the Gulf: the two judgements that move the numbers
Lease accounting looks mechanical once the inputs are set. The incremental borrowing rate and the lease term are where the real work, and the audit questions, sit.
Read the article
Forward-looking information in GCC credit models: which variables actually explain losses
Every ECL model claims to incorporate macroeconomic forecasts. Few can show that the chosen variables explain historical losses in the portfolio being modelled.
Read the article
Accrual accounting for government entities: what IPSAS adoption really involves
Moving a ministry or authority from cash to accrual accounting is an asset-recognition and capability project before it is an accounting project.
Read the article
IFRS 9 amendments effective 2026: ESG-linked loans and electronic settlement
The May 2024 amendments to IFRS 9 and IFRS 7 clarify two questions that Gulf banks and corporates have been asking for three years. They apply from 1 January 2026.
Read the article
Saudi Zakat: how the base is computed and what finance teams get wrong
Zakat is a levy on the zakat base, not on profit, and the base is built from the balance sheet. The most common errors come from treating it as a tax on earnings.
Read the article
IFRS 18: what the new primary statements mean for Gulf preparers
IFRS 18 replaces IAS 1 for periods beginning on or after 1 January 2027. The changes to the income statement are structural, and the comparative period means 2026 data must be captured in the new format from the first day of that year.
Read the article
Purchase price allocation in Gulf acquisitions: where the intangibles hide
Buyers in the region often book almost the entire premium over net assets as goodwill. IFRS 3 requires more, and a proper allocation changes the post-acquisition results materially.
Read the article
Liabilities with covenants: applying the IAS 1 amendments in 2024 financial statements
The amendments to IAS 1 on classification of liabilities as current or non-current apply to annual periods beginning on or after 1 January 2024. Gulf borrowers with covenant-heavy facilities should read them carefully.
Read the article
Higher rates, lower obligations: what the rate cycle did to end-of-service liabilities
Discount rates on Saudi and Bahraini government bonds rose sharply through 2022 and 2023. For IAS 19 valuations that means smaller obligations, gains in OCI and a set of questions from auditors.
Read the article
ZATCA's integration phase: a finance team's checklist
The integration phase of Saudi e-invoicing is rolling out in waves through 2023 and beyond. Compliance is a systems question, but the reconciliation burden lands on finance.
Read the article
IFRS 17 is live: three IFRS 9 questions GCC insurers can no longer defer
Most insurers in the region used the temporary exemption and applied IFRS 9 for the first time alongside IFRS 17 on 1 January 2023. The classification and impairment decisions taken now will shape results for years.
Read the article