The Smart Interactive Talk (SIT) virtually hosted more than 170 participants from more than 20 countries. The main objective of this SIT was to: (i) discuss the existent methodology and the best way of its use in public sector; (ii) present IPSASB position on the topic; (iii) explore the benefits of financial statements for investors and Credit Rating Agencies; (iv) present countries/cities experiences in using performance indicators.
One of the key objectives of accounting in general is to produce in timely fashion financial information that is reliable, relevant, comparable, understandable and, most importantly, useful for decision making. One way to increase value added of financial information and reporting is by development of methodology and usage of financial and performance indicators, such as liquidity, leverage, and debt to net assets ratio, among others, which aim to facilitate analysis and interpretation of financial statements. The use of financial indicators also facilitates international comparisons, and they could also allow to assess COVID-19 impact on public finances.