IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/ausact/v33y2023i3p302-312.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Accounting For Digital Assets

Author

Listed:
  • Andrew B. Jackson
  • Steven Luu

Abstract

Recent years have seen developments in distributed ledger technologies, such as blockchain, that have led to significant growth in the number and type of digital assets available. In this article we review the current practice of the small number of firms globally reporting digital assets on their financial statements. We then assess potential treatments under current GAAP, namely as intangibles, inventory or financial instruments. Finally, we provide policy advice to standard setters, with a call to either develop a new stand‐alone standard or to amend the definition of financial instruments to include cryptocurrencies, to allow greater comparability and understandability in firms’ reporting. Recent years have seen significant growth in the number and type of digital assets available. We review the current practices of firms reporting digital assets. We then assess potential treatments under current GAAP. Finally, we provide policy advice to standard setters, with a call to either develop a new stand‐alone standard or to amend the definition of financial instruments.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrew B. Jackson & Steven Luu, 2023. "Accounting For Digital Assets," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 33(3), pages 302-312, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ausact:v:33:y:2023:i:3:p:302-312
    DOI: 10.1111/auar.12402
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/auar.12402
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/auar.12402?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Maria Karajovic & Henry M. Kim & Marek Laskowski, 2019. "Thinking Outside the Block: Projected Phases of Blockchain Integration in the Accounting Industry," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 29(2), pages 319-330, June.
    2. Cynthia Weiyi Cai, 2018. "Disruption of financial intermediation by FinTech: a review on crowdfunding and blockchain," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 58(4), pages 965-992, December.
    3. Corbet, Shaen & Meegan, Andrew & Larkin, Charles & Lucey, Brian & Yarovaya, Larisa, 2018. "Exploring the dynamic relationships between cryptocurrencies and other financial assets," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 28-34.
    4. Jana Schmitz & Giulia Leoni, 2019. "Accounting and Auditing at the Time of Blockchain Technology: A Research Agenda," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 29(2), pages 331-342, June.
    5. Boon Seng Tan & Kin Yew Low, 2019. "Blockchain as the Database Engine in the Accounting System," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 29(2), pages 312-318, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Yaowen Shan & Sue Wright, 2023. "Contemporary Challenges: Spotlight on Climate, Cryptocurrencies and SME Practices," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 33(3), pages 229-229, September.
    2. Luz Parrondo, 2023. "Cryptoassets: Definitions and accounting treatment under the current International Financial Reporting Standards framework," Intelligent Systems in Accounting, Finance and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(4), pages 208-227, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Cynthia Weiyi Cai, 2021. "Triple‐entry accounting with blockchain: How far have we come?," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 61(1), pages 71-93, March.
    2. Kimani, Danson & Adams, Kweku & Attah-Boakye, Rexford & Ullah, Subhan & Frecknall-Hughes, Jane & Kim, Ja, 2020. "Blockchain, business and the fourth industrial revolution: Whence, whither, wherefore and how?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    3. Han, Hongdan & Shiwakoti, Radha K. & Jarvis, Robin & Mordi, Chima & Botchie, David, 2023. "Accounting and auditing with blockchain technology and artificial Intelligence: A literature review," International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, Elsevier, vol. 48(C).
    4. Diego Valentinetti & Michele A. Rea, 2022. "Blockchain e bilancio di esercizio: verso una convergenza di interessi "distribuita"?," MANAGEMENT CONTROL, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2022(2), pages 15-40.
    5. Nanja Kroon & Maria do Céu Alves & Isabel Martins, 2021. "The Impacts of Emerging Technologies on Accountants’ Role and Skills: Connecting to Open Innovation—A Systematic Literature Review," JOItmC, MDPI, vol. 7(3), pages 1-27, June.
    6. Michael Kend & Lan Anh Nguyen, 2020. "Big Data Analytics and Other Emerging Technologies: The Impact on the Australian Audit and Assurance Profession," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 30(4), pages 269-282, December.
    7. Bin Fang & Xinming Liu & Chen Ma & Yusang Zhuo, 2023. "Blockchain technology adoption and accounting information quality," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 63(4), pages 4125-4156, December.
    8. Tandon, Anushree & Kaur, Puneet & Mäntymäki, Matti & Dhir, Amandeep, 2021. "Blockchain applications in management: A bibliometric analysis and literature review," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    9. Lennart Ante, 2020. "A place next to Satoshi: foundations of blockchain and cryptocurrency research in business and economics," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 124(2), pages 1305-1333, August.
    10. Tseng, Fang-Mei & Palma Gil, Eunice Ina N. & Lu, Louis Y.Y., 2021. "Developmental trajectories of blockchain research and its major subfields," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    11. de Villiers, Charl & Kuruppu, Sanjaya & Dissanayake, Dinithi, 2021. "A (new) role for business – Promoting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals through the internet-of-things and blockchain technology," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 598-609.
    12. Vincent, Nishani Edirisinghe & Skjellum, Anthony & Medury, Sai, 2020. "Blockchain architecture: A design that helps CPA firms leverage the technology," International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, Elsevier, vol. 38(C).
    13. Marco Bellucci & Damiano Cesa Bianchi & Giacomo Manetti, 2021. "A literature review on blockchain in accounting research," Working Papers - Business wp2021_04.rdf, Universita' degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Scienze per l'Economia e l'Impresa.
    14. Rosanna Span? & Maurizio Massaro & Adele Caldarelli & Carlo Bagnoli, 2023. "Blockchain implications for the accounting realm: A critique of extant studies," MANAGEMENT CONTROL, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2023(1), pages 21-42.
    15. Erica Pimentel & Emilio Boulianne, 2020. "Blockchain in Accounting Research and Practice: Current Trends and Future Opportunities," Accounting Perspectives, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(4), pages 325-361, December.
    16. Kowalski, Michał & Lee, Zach W.Y. & Chan, Tommy K.H., 2021. "Blockchain technology and trust relationships in trade finance," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    17. Bouri, Elie & Lucey, Brian & Roubaud, David, 2020. "Cryptocurrencies and the downside risk in equity investments," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 33(C).
    18. Emil Adamek & Jan Janku, 2022. "What Drives Small Business Crowdfunding? Impact of Macroeconomic and Financial Factors," Czech Journal of Economics and Finance (Finance a uver), Charles University Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences, vol. 72(2), pages 172-196, June.
    19. Białkowski, Jędrzej, 2020. "Cryptocurrencies in institutional investors’ portfolios: Evidence from industry stop-loss rules," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    20. Syed Zwick, Hélène & Syed, Sarfaraz Ali Shah, 2019. "Bitcoin and gold prices: A fledging long-term relationship," MPRA Paper 92512, University Library of Munich, Germany.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:ausact:v:33:y:2023:i:3:p:302-312. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=1035-6908 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.