What Exchange Rate to use for Intercompany

Leslie posted some excellent comments, which touched on the exchange rates to use on intercompany transactions, a very interesting and complex topic. I have discussed this at length with Seamus Moran many times, he has educated and enlightened me and I use an example of his here.

Consider Top Hat Global Corp

• The group reports to shareholders in Monopoly Money - MYM.


• Subsidiary N is a plant, and is located in Elbonia, where they use the Elbonian Enigmatic Krown, the EEK.


• They sell in all of the EUR countries.


• They ship from the plant to all of the EU countries.

On Friday 13th, they ship truckloads to each of France, Ireland, Spain and Italy. Each truck has 1 load of Pointyhaired "Boss" robot worth 1,000,000 EEK in it.

France books the intercompany at the RoyalBank rate of 1.25 to 1: 1,250,000 EUR
Ireland books it at the Ryanbank rate of 1.29 to 1: 1,290,000 EUR
Spain books it at Iberiabank rate of 1.27 to 1: 1,270,000 EUR
Italy books it at Sicilybank rate of 1.28 to 1: 1,280,000 EUR

The same thing happens when the intercompany payment happens.

Question 1:

Which of the rates should the Elbonian plant use? To balance with each sub, they must use the rate that sub used, so should they use four different rates on the same date?

Question 2:

Upon consolidation in MYM at the rate at month end on Friday 27th, how will this different euro amounts equate to the converted-to-MYM EEK amounts, all of which are 1,000,000 EEK.

Question 3:

What is the lower of cost or market for these 4 bozos in inventory? My guess is the lower est ie. 1,250,000 Euro. How many subsidiaries are reporting this value?

So this is why Top Hat Global Corp doesn't use local bank rates for intercompany work as it impacts consolidation and GAAP. In addition to "difference management", the GAAP principle involved is that they should be using market rates. For a big group, market rates are treasury currency contracts they've negotiated or should be able to negotiate, and not the rates their local subs manage to get.

Standard practice is to use (mandate) corporate "treasury" rates for all intercompany business. Local rates are a group nightmare.

In AGIS we have a system level option to specify the rate type to use, that allows you to mandate the corporate treasury rate mentioned above for all your intercompany business.