Risk Disclosure Practices in Annual Reports of Listed Companies: Evidence from a Developing Country

Abstract

Introduction of IFRS 7 by International Accounting Standards Board adds to the quality of risk disclosure practices to be exercises by all preparers of financial statements. It is expected to provide potential investors the opportunity to better evaluate financial risk exposures of entities holding material financial assets and liabilities. Our main objective was to evaluate the quality of risk reporting practices of Macedonian listed entities subsequent to introduction of IFRS 2009 and provide empirical evidence on the state of compliance with IFRS 7 requirements. This paper investigates the factors that influence the quality of disclosures related to risks arising from financial instruments provided by Macedonian listed companies in their financial statements prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS). We have constructed a disclosure index for each listed company based on IFRS 7 requirements. The regression analysis includes variables representing some characteristics of listed companies investigated, such as their size, industry, type of auditor engaged, ownership concentration, profitability and leverage. We have concluded that the level of compliance with risk disclosure requirements is related to the type of auditor engaged and ownership concentration in investigated companies. The research highlighted areas of financial reporting practice that could be improved by most listed companies in order to be fully compliant with IFRS requirements.

Key words: financial risks, disclosure indices, company characteristics