Related Party Transactions

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PART A Related party transactions (RPTs) are transfers of resources, services or obligations between an entity and related parties: members of the same group, associates or joint ventures (AASB 124, paragraph 9). RPTs are the synergies within different parts of the conglomerate, and thereby, lead to healthy cost efficiencies and profit maximization of the group. For parents, RPTs help them improve risk management and effective control to subsidiaries (Basel, 1999). RPTs can be carried out on the base of relationships between parties through the presence of control, joint control or significant influence (AASB 124, paragraph 5). In the Commonwealth Bank Group (the Group); the Bank, the parent entity, has the power to govern the financial and operating policies of its controlled entities, thus, the ability to transfer assets within subsidiaries. The Group’s RPTs are in the forms of management services provided to associated Group and Bank companies, loans, deposits and foreign currency transactions or tax funding and sharing agreements with subsidiaries (Commonwealth 2010 p.218&219). Examples of RPTs can be found in Note 45 of the Group’s financial statements. There were transfers of derivative assets from subsidiaries to the Bank, for $188,010,000 in 2009 and $193,959,000 in 2010 (Commonwealth 2010 p.220), including derivatives held for trading, hedging and other derivatives (Commonwealth 2010 p.135). With the transactions, the Group is better protected against fluctuations in interest rates and exchange rate. The RPTs also lower the risk of volatility in future cash flows, minimize exposures to the currency translation risk in foreign operations and increase the diversity of financial instruments to meet customers’ needs (... ... middle of paper ... ...nd its subsidiaries. REFERENCES 1. Arthur, N., R. Grose, J. Cambell and L. Luff, (2008), Accounting for Corporate Combinations and Associations, 6th Edidion, Pearson Education Australia 2. AASB 124 (2009) ‘Related Party Disclosure’, Australian Accounting Standards Board, Australia. 3. AASB 127 (2009) ‘Consolidated and Separate Financial Statements’, Australian Accounting Standards Board, Australia. 4. Basel (1999) Intra-Group Transactions and Exposures Principles, The Joint Forum: Committee on Banking Supervision, International Organization of Securities Commissions, International Association of Insurance Supervisions, Basel Committee Publications. 5. Commonwealth Bank Limited (2010) ‘Annual Report 2010’, available at: http://www.commbank.aom.au/about-us/shareholders/pdfs/annual-reports/Commonwealth_Bank_2010_Annual_Report.pdf [accessed: 17th Aug 2011]

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