The Impact of Mandatory IFRS Adoption on the Value Relevance of Published Accounting Information: Evidence from Iraqi Private Banks

Abstract

The study aimed to identify the impact of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) on the value Relevance of accounting information in a sample of banks listed on the Iraq Stock Exchange. The study dealt with the method of analyzing the information content of the annual financial statements published on the Iraq Stock Exchange website, which number (46). Banks. (15) Banks were chosen as a sample for the study for the period (2012-2021). This sample was determined according to two basic conditions: the availability of financial statements for the year 2021 and the banks’ continuation of disclosing their data for the specified years without interruption. The independent variable was measured by financial reporting standards. The international standard (IFRS) was set at a value of (1.0), and the second variable (value Relevance) was measured using the model (Ohlson, 1995). Data analysis was also conducted through the use of statistical methods and tools and the statistical program (stata), and the study concluded that there is a relationship there is a positive moral significance between the application of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and the value Relevance of published accounting information. This means that the greater the trend towards adopting international financial reporting standards is accompanied by an increase in the levels of value Relevance of accounting information. The study recommended the necessity the Central Bank of Iraq obligates banks listed on the Iraqi Stock Exchange to comply with the requirements of international financial reporting standards, which in turn reduces information asymmetry by disclosing Relevance accounting information to current and prospective investors.