Effects of the implementation of IFRS 16 leases in companies listed in the Colombian Stock Exchange

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to analyze possible effects associated with the initial application of International Financial Reporting Standards (ifrs) to the financial statements of 68 companies listed on the Colombian Stock Exchange. This study uses a content analysis technique and the Gray index of conservatism to measure the changes produced by the standard for the years 2019 and 2018. The outcomes show that there is a financial effect for 16.18% of the adopting entities and an impact on indicators such as ROE, debt, and leverage, the latter having an average negative impact. In terms of disclosures, lessees provide more information (with 65% compliance) than lessors (with 55%). Even so, the total of the requirements established in ifrs 16 are not achieved, evidencing how the disclosure objectives of the standard are not fully met for the entities listed in the BVC. Nevertheless, not all the criteria established in ifrs 16 are satisfied. This article contributes to the analysis of the microeconomic effects of the ifrs (specifically ifrs 16), on adopting companies, for which few studies have been conducted in Latin America.