Financial assets and financial liabilities are recognised when the company becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.
Financial liabilities and equity instruments are classified according to the substance of the contractual arrangements entered into. An equity instrument is any contract that evidences a residual interest in the assets of the company after deducting all of its liabilities.
All financial assets and liabilities are initially measured at transaction price (including transaction costs), except for those financial assets classified as at fair value through profit and loss, which are initially measured at fair value (which is normally the transaction price excluding transaction costs), unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction. If an arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, the financial asset or financial liability is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest for a similar debt instrument.
The following assets and liabilities are classified as basic financial instruments - trade debtors, other debtors, cash and bank balances, trade creditors, other creditors and bank loans are measured at the amortised cost equivalent to the undiscounted amount of cash or other consideration expected to be paid or received.
Bank loans are initially measured at the present value of future payments, discounted at a market rate of interest and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.