The March 2026 IFRS for SMEs Accounting Standard Update provides a concise overview of three developments:

• The revised requirements in Section 9: Consolidated and Separate Financial Statements;

• The discussions at the SME Implementation Group (SMEIG) meeting held in February 2026; and

• New learning materials and support resources released to help entities apply the Third Edition of the Standard.

1. Overview of Section 9

Section 9 explains when an entity is required to prepare consolidated financial statements and how those statements should be prepared.

When one entity controls another, the parent may be required to present the parent and its subsidiaries as a single economic entity in consolidated financial statements.

Section 9 also provides guidance on:

• Separate financial statements; and

• Combined financial statements.

The Single-Control Model

The Third Edition adopts a single-control model based on IFRS 10.

The key question is:

Does the investor control the other entity?

The previous version contained separate guidance for special-purpose entities. The revised version removes this distinction and applies one consistent control assessment to all entities.

To determine whether Company A controls Company B, the assessment focuses on whether Company A has:

• Power over Company B;

• Rights to, or exposure to, variable returns from Company B; and

• The ability to use its power to affect those returns.

In practical terms, Section 9 helps answer the following question:

Does the investor truly control the other entity, and if so, must that entity be included in the group’s consolidated financial statements?

Loss of Control

The revised Section 9 also provides guidance on the accounting treatment when a parent loses control of a subsidiary.

For example, when a parent sells a subsidiary, it must:

• Remove the subsidiary’s assets and liabilities from the financial statements;

• Remove any non-controlling interest;

• Recognise the consideration received;

• Measure any retained interest as required; and

• Recognise the resulting gain or loss on the loss of control.

In simple terms, the revised requirements explain how to properly account for the end of a parent–subsidiary relationship.

Presumption of Control

One point remains unchanged.

Where an investor directly or indirectly holds more than half of the voting rights in an investee, control is presumed to exist unless it can be clearly demonstrated that one or more of the elements of control is absent.

Overall, the Section 9 overview helps users understand:

• Who is required to prepare consolidated financial statements;

• What control means; and

• How to account for situations in which control begins or ends.

2. Update from the February 2026 SMEIG Meeting

The SME Implementation Group (SMEIG) is a consultative group established to support the global adoption of the IFRS for SMEs Accounting Standard and monitor its practical implementation.

At its meeting on 5 February 2026, SMEIG discussed a practical question relating to paragraph 9.3, which provides an exemption from preparing consolidated financial statements in certain circumstances.

The issue was whether the exemption should also apply to an intermediate parent when its ultimate or intermediate parent is an investment entity that:

• Prepares separate financial statements; and

• Measures its subsidiaries at fair value through profit or loss instead of preparing consolidated financial statements.

In practical terms, the question is whether a parent in the middle of a group structure should be allowed, in certain circumstances, to avoid preparing another set of consolidated financial statements when an upper-level parent already reports its subsidiaries using this approach.

Full IFRS contains an exemption in such circumstances, but the IFRS for SMEs Accounting Standard does not currently include an equivalent exemption. This may result in a more burdensome reporting requirement for some entities applying IFRS for SMEs.

Most SMEIG members agreed that the Standard should likely be amended. Most members who expressed a view also considered that the IASB should address the matter urgently rather than wait for the next periodic review.

The meeting agenda, papers and recording were made available publicly. SMEIG members were also expected to vote on how the matter should be addressed, with the IASB considering the outcome.

The current position may therefore be summarised as follows:

SMEIG has identified a potential gap in the IFRS for SMEs requirements, and the IASB is considering whether the Standard should be amended sooner rather than later.

3. Resources to Support Implementation

The March 2026 update also lists additional resources issued by the IASB to help users understand and apply the Third Edition.

These resources are not new accounting requirements. They are educational and practical materials designed to support implementation.

Since the December 2025 update, the IASB has published educational modules covering:

• Module 18: Intangible Assets; and

• Module 26: Share-based Payment.

These modules include explanations, examples and assessment materials to help SMEs apply the requirements.

The IASB has also released education webcasts covering revisions to:

• Section 23: Revenue from Contracts with Customers; and

• Section 19: Business Combinations and Goodwill.

In addition, a podcast series provides short insights into the Third Edition, including an episode released in February 2026.

The update also refers to earlier support materials, including:

• The Project Summary;

• The Feedback Statement and Effects Analysis;

• A marked-up version of the Standard showing changes from the Second Edition;

• Earlier and additional educational modules;

• Previous education webcasts; and

• Earlier podcast episodes.

These resources are intended to help accountants, auditors, business owners, trainers and SMEs understand what has changed and how to apply the revised requirements properly.

Overall Message

The March 2026 update can be understood as a concise guide to:

• One important section of the Standard;

• A current technical issue being considered by SMEIG and the IASB; and

• The learning materials available to support implementation.

The update explains the revised control requirements, reports on an ongoing technical discussion and provides practical resources to help users understand and apply the Third Edition of the IFRS for SMEs Accounting Standard.

IFRS for SMEs 2026 年 3 月更新：第 9 节、SMEIG 讨论与实施资源

IFRS for SMEs 会计准则 2026 年 3 月更新主要概述三项发展：

• 修订后的第 9 节：合并及单独财务报表；

• **中小企业实施小组（SME Implementation Group，SMEIG）**于 2026 年 2 月举行的会议讨论；以及

• 为协助企业应用第三版准则而发布的新学习材料及支援资源。

1. 第 9 节概览

第 9 节说明企业在什么情况下需要编制合并财务报表，以及这些报表应如何编制。

当一家企业控制另一家企业时，母公司可能需要将母公司及其子公司作为一个经济实体，在合并财务报表中一并呈现。

第 9 节也提供以下方面的指引：

• 单独财务报表；以及

• 组合财务报表。

单一控制模型

第三版采用以 IFRS 10 为基础的单一控制模型。

核心问题是：

投资者是否控制另一家企业？

旧版准则曾经针对特殊目的实体提供独立指引。修订后的版本取消了这一分类，改为对所有企业采用统一的控制评估方式。

在判断 A 公司是否控制 B 公司时，重点是评估 A 公司是否同时具备：

• 对 B 公司的权力；

• 享有 B 公司变动回报的权利，或承担相关风险；以及

• 运用其权力影响这些回报的能力。

从实务角度来看，第 9 节主要帮助企业回答：

投资者是否真正控制另一家企业？如果是，是否必须将该企业纳入集团合并财务报表？

失去控制权

修订后的第 9 节也说明了母公司失去对子公司控制权时的会计处理。

例如，当母公司出售子公司时，母公司必须：

• 从财务报表中移除子公司的资产及负债；

• 移除任何非控股权益；

• 确认收到的对价；

• 按照适用要求计量任何保留权益；以及

• 确认失去控制权所产生的收益或损失。

简单来说，修订后的要求说明了母子公司关系结束时，账务应如何妥善处理。

控制权的推定

有一项内容保持不变。

如果投资者直接或间接持有被投资方超过一半的表决权，原则上会推定投资者拥有控制权，除非能够清楚证明控制权的一个或多个要素并不存在。

整体而言，第 9 节概览帮助使用者了解：

• 谁需要编制合并财务报表；

• 控制权的含义；以及

• 控制权开始或结束时应如何进行会计处理。

2. 2026 年 2 月 SMEIG 会议更新

**中小企业实施小组（SME Implementation Group，SMEIG）**是一个咨询小组，成立目的是支持 IFRS for SMEs 会计准则在全球的应用，并观察该准则在实务上的实施情况。

在 2026 年 2 月 5 日举行的会议中，SMEIG 讨论了一项与第 9.3 段有关的实务问题。第 9.3 段涉及在特定情况下豁免编制合并财务报表的规定。

讨论的重点是：当最终母公司或上层中间母公司属于投资实体，并且该投资实体：

• 编制单独财务报表；以及

• 通过损益按公允价值计量其对子公司的投资，而不是编制合并财务报表时，

相关豁免是否也应适用于集团架构中的中间层母公司。

简单来说，问题是：

当集团上层母公司已经以特定方式报告其子公司时，处于集团中间层的母公司是否可以在某些情况下免于再次编制一套合并财务报表？

完整 IFRS 在这类情况下设有相关豁免，但 IFRS for SMEs 会计准则目前并没有相同的豁免规定。这可能导致部分采用 IFRS for SMEs 的企业承担更繁重的报告要求。

大多数 SMEIG 成员认为，准则可能需要进行修订。大多数表达意见的成员也认为，IASB 应尽快处理这项议题，而不是等到下一次定期检讨时才处理。

会议议程、文件及录影已经公开。SMEIG 成员也预计会就应如何处理这项议题进行投票，IASB 则会进一步考虑投票结果。

目前，这项议题可以概括为：

SMEIG 发现 IFRS for SMEs 的现行要求可能存在一个不够完整的地方，IASB 正在考虑是否应提早修订相关准则。

3. 支援准则实施的资源

2026 年 3 月更新也列出了 IASB 为协助使用者理解及应用第三版而发布的其他资源。

这些资源本身并不是新的会计要求，而是用于支援实施的教育及实务材料。

自 2025 年 12 月的更新以来，IASB 已发布以下教育模块：

• 第 18 模块：无形资产；以及

• 第 26 模块：以股份为基础的支付。

这些模块包括解释、示例及评估材料，帮助中小型企业应用相关要求。

IASB 也发布了教育网络讲座，内容涵盖以下修订章节：

• 第 23 节：来自客户合同的收入；以及

• 第 19 节：企业合并与商誉。

此外，IASB 也推出了介绍第三版准则的播客系列，以较短的内容提供重点说明，其中包括 2026 年 2 月发布的一集节目。

这份更新也提及早前已经发布的其他支援材料，包括：

• 项目摘要（Project Summary）；

• 反馈声明及影响分析（Feedback Statement and Effects Analysis）；

• 显示第二版至第三版修改内容的修订标记版准则；

• 其他及较早发布的教育模块；

• 之前发布的教育网络讲座；以及

• 早前发布的播客节目。

这些资源旨在帮助会计师、审计师、企业经营者、培训讲师及中小型企业了解准则有哪些变化，以及应如何正确应用修订后的要求。

整体信息

2026 年 3 月的更新，可以理解为一份简明指南，内容包括：

• 准则中的一个重要章节；

• SMEIG 及 IASB 正在考虑的一项技术议题；以及

• 支援准则实施的学习材料。

这份更新说明了修订后的控制要求，报告了一项正在讨论中的技术问题，并列出可协助使用者理解及应用 IFRS for SMEs 会计准则第三版的实务资源。