IASB's independence in the due process: an examination of interest groups' influence on the development ofIFRS 9

This mixed-method study examines whether and how the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) was influenced by interest groups during the development of the expected credit loss (ECL) model forIFRS 9Financial Instruments. Content analysis of 327 comment letters revealed that theIASBwas influenced. However, Fisher's exact test and chi-square goodness-of-fit test showed that, to a greater extent, the influence was not significant. Furthermore, qualitative analyses of the arguments put forward by interest groups showed that as a result of interest groups' inputs, accounting requirements for theECLmodel were made more operational, less complex and potentially productive of more comparable financial information.