Annual Report 2019

ANNUAL REPORT 2019 183 NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS For the year ended 31 March 2019 3. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued) Financial instruments (continued) Financial assets (continued) Impairment of financial assets (upon application HKFRS 9 with transitions in accordance with note 2) The Group recognises a loss allowance for ECL on financial assets which are subject to impairment under HKFRS 9 (including trade debtors, other receivables, customers’ deposits under escrow, amounts due from related parties, pledged deposits, restricted bank deposits, deposit in a financial institution, bank balances, loan receivables and contract assets. The amount of ECL is updated at each reporting date to reflect changes in credit risk since initial recognition. Lifetime ECL represents the ECL that will result from all possible default events over the expected life of the relevant instrument. In contrast, 12-month ECL represents the portion of lifetime ECL that is expected to result from default events that are possible within 12 months after the reporting date. Assessment are done based on the Group’s historical credit loss experience, adjusted for factors that are specific to the debtors, general economic conditions and an assessment of both the current conditions at the reporting date as well as the forecast of future conditions. The Group always recognises lifetime ECL for trade debtors and contract assets and the ECL on these assets are assessed based on past due status and individually respectively. For all other instruments, the Group measures the loss allowance equal to 12-month ECL, unless when there has been a significant increase in credit risk since initial recognition, the Group recognises lifetime ECL. The assessment of whether lifetime ECL should be recognised is based on significant increases in the likelihood or risk of a default occurring since initial recognition. (i) Significant increase in credit risk In assessing whether the credit risk has increased significantly since initial recognition, the Group compares the risk of a default occurring on the financial instrument as at the reporting date with the risk of a default occurring on the financial instrument as at the date of initial recognition. In making this assessment, the Group considers both quantitative and qualitative information that is reasonable and supportable, including historical experience and forward-looking information that is available without undue cost or effort. In particular, the following information is taken into account when assessing whether credit risk has increased significantly: • an actual or expected significant deterioration in the financial instrument’s external (if available) or internal credit rating; • significant deterioration in external market indicators of credit risk, e.g. a significant increase in the credit spread, the credit default swap prices for the debtor; • existing or forecast adverse changes in business, financial or economic conditions that are expected to cause a significant decrease in the debtor’s ability to meet its debt obligations; • an actual or expected significant deterioration in the operating results of the debtor; • an actual or expected significant adverse change in the regulatory, economic, or technological environment of the debtor that results in a significant decrease in the debtor’s ability to meet its debt obligations.