Practice free →
HomeCA Finalfinancialreportingequityvsliability › A Ltd. issues preference shares redeemable at th…

A Ltd. issues preference shares redeemable at the end of 10 years and carrying a 15% p.a. CUMULATIVE dividend (commensurate with credit risk). Under Ind AS 32, the instrument is classified as:

AWholly a financial liability — there is a contractual obligation to deliver cash on both the mandatory cumulative dividend and the principal redemption
BA compound financial instrument — split between equity and liability components
COutside the scope of Ind AS 32 because preference shares are equity per the Companies Act
DWholly an equity instrument — preference shares are equity by their name
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. Wholly a financial liability — there is a contractual obligation to deliver cash on both the mandatory cumulative dividend and the principal redemption
Both legs create unconditional contractual obligations on the issuer: mandatory redemption at year 10 AND mandatory cumulative dividend. Neither can be avoided. Therefore the entire instrument is a financial liability — no equity component to split. The name ("preference share") and Companies Act treatment do not override Ind AS 32's substance test.
Solve this in the app — CA Final practice & 24k+ MCQs →
Related questions