The International Accounting Standards Committee was formed in 1973. This committee was the first international standard-setting body. In early 2001, this Committee was reorganized and became the the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) to independently develop and establish a single set of accounting procedures for international business. Since the reorganization of the IASB, the use of these international financial reporting standards (IFRSs) have been required or permitted in over 100 countries, including the European Union ("What Have IASB And FASB Convergence Efforts Achieved?", 2013). The IASB aims to make the entire world follow guidelines for financial reporting to make use and comparability of financial reports more consistent across all geographical areas.
The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) is the independent body that is responsible for the creation of GAAP. The board is the standard setting body in charge of standards for nongovernmental companies operating in the United States. Since 2002, the IASB and FASB have been working together to improve and converge U.S. GAAP and IFRS. The United States is not the only country working toward convergence, as of 2009, Japan and China were both working toward convergence of IFRS as well as their accounting standards. In February 2010 the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) issued statements of support of the convergence in IFRS and U.S. GAAP.
The FASB intends to analyze each of the differences within the scope and either (1) amend applicable U.S. GAAP literature to reduce or eliminate the difference or (2) communicate to the IASB the Board’s rationale for electing not to change U.S. GAAP. Concurrently, the IASB will review IFRS and make similar determinations of whether to amend applicable IFRS or communicate its rationale to the FASB for electing not to change the IASB’s GAAP (Schroeder,