The Effects of Financial Reporting on Bank Loan Contracting in Global Markets: Evidence from Mandatory IFRS Adoption

This study examines the effects of the mandatory adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) on the contract terms of bank loans in a global setting. Using a difference-in-differences design based on 26,474 bank loans in 31 countries during the 2000–2011 period, we find that borrowers who mandatorily adopt IFRS experience an increase in interest rates, a reduction in the use of accounting-based financial covenants, an increase in the likelihood that a loan is collateralized, a reduction in loan maturity, and an increase in the fraction of a loan retained by lead arrangers. These findings are robust to the removal of the 2008 financial crisis from our analysis, as well as to the matching of IFRS and non-IFRS borrowers on various country- and firm-level characteristics. Furthermore, we find that these changes are more pronounced for borrowers with greater financial reporting changes, as well as those with poorer accounting quality after IFRS adoption. JEL Classifications: G15; G21; F34; M41.