Accounting Standards for Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises in ASEAN

The goal of every business, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is success. To succeed, SMEs must have good financial management; able to secure and obtain financing; have vision and know-how to ensure growth; and be equipped with technologies and human resources that enable them to compete globally. SMEs should accurately understand their own business conditions and to enable them to draw up business plans that clearly communicate their objectives to financial institutions. The Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia has conducted several researches to investigate the need to improve SMEs' access to finance. These research projects point out that proper, transparent accounting practices and preparation of transaction records are challenges to improving SMEs' access to finance in the ASEAN region. This research investigates the accounting standards applied to SMEs in ASEAN and how those standards are spread to SMEs. It also investigates the challenges that SMEs in ASEAN nations face in using accounting standards, and the measures needed to conquer such challenges. It also clarifies the gap between the ideal and the reality of introducing international accounting standards, and determines if adoption of these standards is progressing smoothly or not. Only when the reality and challenges of the accounting system for ASEAN SMEs are clearly identified can the type of public policy throughout ASEAN or its individual nations be proposed.