Hedging, reinsurance, and accounting mismatches under IFRS 17

Kennisbank •
Markus Hersche Ph.D. SAA, Henny Verheugen AAG

Hedging and reinsurance are widely used tools that help insurers manage risk. In most cases, these tools are designed to protect the Solvency Capital Requirement (SCR) ratio. However, they are less commonly focused on stabilizing results and equity under IFRS reporting standards.

Hedging, reinsurance, and accounting mismatches under IFRS 17

A central feature of IFRS 17 is the Contractual Service Margin (CSM) — a balance sheet item that represents the unearned profit an insurer will receive over time as it provides services under its insurance contracts. Specific mechanisms surrounding the CSM can create mismatches between assets and liabilities, leading to volatility in either the profit and loss (P&L) statement or in equity (net assets/capital).


This article describes these mechanisms, the measures introduced by the IASB to address them, and how and to what degree insurance companies are applying them in practice.

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