FASB Lease Accounting Standard Update 2016-02: An Exploration of Similarities and Differences to IFRS 16

For accounting professionals across the globe, certain rules and regulations are put in to place to maintain the ethical and transparent practices of financial accounting. U.S. companies follow the regulation process of the Financial Accounting Standards Board that issues Accounting Standard Updates to the FASB Codification that provides the metrics that public, private, and non-for-profit companies use for better reporting practices. For global companies that operate in international markets, the International Accounting Standards Board issues separate IFRS Standards that present accounting practices for global companies to operate more efficient and financially transparent. One of the most major recent changes to the FASB Codification is related to Topic 842 - Leases, Accounting Standard Update 2016-02. This ASU is related to IFRS 16 - Leases. This thesis will explore the standard-setting process of the two entities that has led to the change in reporting for leases, both in the United States and internationally. A comparison will be drawn to contrast the similarities and differences between ASU 2016-02 and IFRS 16, that connects companies and accounting professionals to properly report leases for interested parties in the near future.