International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and the Development of Financial Reporting Standards in Turkey

The European Union decided that IFRS would be effective as of the beginning of 2005. Consequently, the IMF, the World Bank, IOSCO as well as other similar organizations have established policies to support the adoption of IFRS. Similarly, since January 1, 2005, banks and firms in Turkey registered on the Istanbul Stock Exchange have prepared their financial statements in accordance with principles set out in IFRS. Moreover, the Turkish Accounting Standards Board (TASB) which oversees Turkish Accounting Standards has accepted harmonization with the principles of IFRS in order to get international acceptance. The TASB is the sole authority charged with the development and application of accounting standards in Turkey. Therefore, future acceptance and application of these standards by other regulatory organizations is inevitable