TR – 29 Carry-over-Transactions (COT)

THE ISSUE

The Karachi Stock Exchange (Guarantee) Limited (KSE) had enforced Carry-Over Transactions Regulations (“the Regulations”) with effect from 11 January 1993. These regulations were introduced to enhance the stock market liquidity and parallel regulations were also enforced by the other stock exchanges of the country. Following paragraphs summarise the mechanism of COT along with its accounting treatment generally being followed.

1.           Carry over transaction, as defined in section 2(e) of the Regulations, means the combination of two transactions taking place simultaneously and settled in two clearings in sequence. According to section 4(iii) of the Regulations, the buyer of shares in current clearing period (“the first transaction”) would become seller of the same shares in the immediate next clearing period (“the second transaction”) and the seller of shares in current clearing period (“the first transaction”) would become buyer of the same shares in the immediate next clearing period (“the second transaction”).

2.             Buyer / Seller enters into the first transaction on Friday after normal trading hours and its settlement takes place on succeeding Wednesday through Clearing House of KSE along with settlements of normal transactions. Simultaneously, seller / buyer enters into the second transaction on the same Friday and its settlement takes place through Clearing House but on succeeding second Wednesday. However, the contract ticket of the second transaction (which is prepared on Friday) bears the date of succeeding Monday, not of Friday. Share Price of the second transaction is marked-up and generally does not match with the prevailing market quotes of the succeeding Monday. The marking-up of second transaction is dependent on demand and supply of funds in the Carry-Over Market.

3.    Paragraph 10 of International Accounting Standard 39 “Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement” defines “repurchase agreement (Repo) as an agreement to transfer a financial asset to another party in exchange for cash or other consideration and a concurrent obligation to reacquire the financial asset at a future  date for an amount equal to the cash or other consideration exchanged plus interest”. If we consider the series of above two Carry-Over-Transactions as a whole, its commercial effect takes form of a Repo in which lending / borrowing of funds against pledge of shares takes place for one week i.e. from Wednesday to Wednesday.

4.             Paragraph 13 of the IAS 18 “Revenue” states that the “revenue recognition criteria are applied to two or more transactions together when they are linked in such a way that the commercial effect cannot be understood without reference to the series of transactions as a whole”. Paragraph 13 further gives an example of an enterprise that may sell goods and at the same time enter into a separate agreement to repurchase the goods at a later date thus negating  the substantive effect of the transaction; in such a case the two transactions are dealt with together”. However, dealing with first and second transactions separately, revenue / expense from COT is generally accounted for as capital gain / loss and not as interest income / expense.

5.            Paragraph 27 of IAS 39 states that “an enterprise should recognise a financial  asset or financial liability on its balance sheet when, and only when, it becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the instrument”. In the case of first transaction COT, generally the buyer recognises purchase of shares as investment in its balance sheet (and not recognise a lending) without considering the second transaction. However, simultaneousness of the second transaction of COT does not constitute the buyer in substance a party to the contractual provisions of the equity instrument.

6.    Paragraph 35 of IAS 39 states that “an enterprise should derecognise a financial asset or a portion of a financial asset when, and only when, the enterprise loses control of the contractual rights that comprise the financial asset (or a portion of the financial asset).” Further, paragraphs 38 & 39 state that a transferor has not lost control of a transferred financial asset and, therefore the asset is not derecognised if the transferor has the right to reacquire the transferred asset unless either (i) the asset is readily obtainable in the market or (ii) the reacquisition price is fair  value at the time of reacquisition. In the case of first transaction of COT, generally the seller de-recognises the investment in shares from its balance sheet (and not recognising a borrowing) without considering the second transaction. However, simultaneousness of the second transaction of COT gives the seller a right to repurchase the shares at a fixed price. Further, the respective shares are not readily obtainable in the market on succeeding Monday because their prices are fixed in advance i.e. on Friday.

Keeping in view the above practice and the form as well as substance of COT a question has arisen whether COT is a Repo or not?

TECHNICAL COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS

The appropriate Committee of the Institute has examined all aspects of the query regarding Carry-Over-Transactions (COT) and is of the opinion that a Carry-Over-Transaction is a Repo transaction as the substance of the transaction and not its form should be considered and accordingly it should be treated as a financing transaction. in the books of accounts.

The aforesaid clarification provides the accounting treatment for Carry-Over-Transactions under International Accounting Standards. However for the purposes of other statutes, the transaction would have the effect according to the relevant provisions of that law.

(152nd meeting of the Council – July 19-20, 2002)