Financial supervisors

This guide suggests practices and examples of specific accounting and auditing issues and questions that supervisors need to consider when monitoring and reviewing banking sector financial statements. It aims to enable prudential supervisors to form an understanding of a bank’s business drivers, risks and critically evaluate the quality of financial assets and the related provisions for credit losses using IFRS financial statements. It also lists regulatory areas which are connected with accounting requirements which supervisors may investigate further when reviewing financial statements.

The present Guide draws together recommendations to improve the relationship between supervisors and external auditors illustrated by good practices from 35 supervisory authorities across Europe and Central Asia (ECA). It has been developed as a supplement to the 2015 World Bank Centre for Financial Reporting Reform (CFRR) report on Banking Supervisors and External Auditors: Building a Constructive Relationship.

This publication presents key findings from the World Bank CFRR survey – Financial supervisors and external auditors: building a constructive relationship that was conducted during the second half of 2014, and discussions with regulators conducted in 2015.