ASIC Class Order [CO 98/110]

Administered by Department of the Treasury

Legislation au F2006B00894 Not in force Legislative Instrument

Legislation content

ASIC Class Order [CO 98/110]

ADIs — related party balances and transactions

This instrument has effect under subsection 341(1) of the Corporations Act 2001.

This compilation was prepared on 1 September 2005 taking into account amendments up to [CO 05/640].

Prepared by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.

Australian Securities and Investments Commission
Corporations Act 2001 — Section  341(1) — Class Order and Revocation

Pursuant to subsection 341(1) of the Corporations Act 2001 (“the Act”) the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (“ASIC”) hereby makes an order in respect of each company and disclosing entity which is an ADI, the parent entity of an ADI or an entity controlled by an ADI (“the Entity”) relieving the Entity from compliance with the requirements of the Act specified in the Schedule on condition that:

(a) a statutory declaration meeting the following requirements is lodged with ASIC with the Entity’s financial report as required to be lodged pursuant to subsection  319(1) of the Act for each of the financial years to which this order applies:

(i) if the Entity is an ADI or a parent entity of an ADI, the declaration is made by two directors of the Entity;

(ii) in any other case, the declaration is made by two directors of the ADI of which the Entity is a controlled entity;

(iii) the declaration states that the Entity has systems of internal controls and procedures which:

(A) in the case of any material financial instrument transaction, ensure that; and

(B) in any other case, are designed to provide a reasonable degree of assurance that,

 any financial instrument transaction of a Bank which may be required to be disclosed in the Entity's financial report in accordance with AASB 1017 and which is not entered into regularly, is drawn to the attention of the directors of the Entity so that it may be disclosed; and

(b) a statement containing a summary of this class order is included in the notes to the Entity’s financial report.

SCHEDULE

Except in respect of any loan made, guaranteed or secured by, or financial instrument transaction of, a Bank of which any director of the Entity should reasonably be aware that if not disclosed, would have the potential to adversely affect the decisions made by users of the financial report about the allocation of scarce resources, subsection  296(1) of the Act, in so far as that subsection requires the Entity's financial report for a financial year commencing before 1 January 2005 to be made out in accordance with:

(i) Paragraphs 4.10, 4.12 and 4.14 of AASB 1017 in respect of a loan regularly made, guaranteed or secured by a Bank other than a loan made, guaranteed or secured by a Bank to an AASB 1017 Director of the Entity or to an entity controlled or significantly influenced by such an AASB 1017 Director;

(ii) Paragraphs 4.17, 4.18, 4.19, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4 and 6.5 of AASB 1017 in respect of a financial instrument transaction regularly made by a Bank (whether the Bank is a party to the financial instrument or not) where neither:

(A) an AASB 1017 Director of the Entity; nor

(B) an entity controlled or significantly influenced by such an AASB 1017 Director, is a party to the transaction;

(iii) Paragraphs 9.1 and 9.2 of AASB 1046 in respect of a loan regularly made, guaranteed or secured, directly or indirectly, by a Bank other than a loan made, guaranteed or secured, directly or indirectly, by a Bank to an AASB 1046 Director of the Entity or an executive of the Entity, or to an entity controlled or significantly influenced by such an AASB 1046 Director or executive; and

(iv) Paragraphs 10.1 and 10.2 of AASB 1046 in respect of a financial instrument transaction regularly made by a Bank (whether the Bank is a party to the financial instrument or not) where none of:

(A) an AASB 1046 Director of the Entity; or

(B) an executive of the Entity; or

(C) an entity controlled or significantly influenced by such an AASB 1046 Director of the Entity or executive of the Entity, is a party to the transaction.

Definitions

In this instrument:

“AASB 1017” means accounting standard AASB 1017 “Related Party Disclosures”;

“AASB 1017 Director” has the same meaning as “director” in paragraph 9.1 of AASB 1017;

 “AASB 1046” means accounting standard AASB 1046 “Director and Executive Disclosures by Disclosing Entities”;

 “AASB 1046 Director” has the same meaning as “director” in paragraph 12.1 of AASB 1046;

 “arm's length basis” in relation to a transaction between a Bank and another party, means on terms and conditions no more favourable to the other party than those which it is reasonable to expect the Bank would have adopted if dealing with the other party at arm's length in similar circumstances;

“ADI” means an authorised deposit-taking institution for the purposes of the Banking Act 1959 ;

 “Bank” means a corporation which lawfully carries on the general business of banking, whether in Australia or another country, and includes an ADI;

 “entity” means any legal, administrative, or fiduciary arrangement, organisational structure or other party (including a person) having the capacity to deploy scarce resources in order to achieve objectives;

“executive” has the same meaning as in paragraph 12.1 of AASB 1046;

 “regularly” means lawfully and in the course of its ordinary banking business and either on an arm's length basis or with the approval of a general meeting of the Entity and its ultimate parent entity if any; and

“financial instrument transaction” means a transaction which has as its subject matter a “financial instrument” (other than a share or share option) as defined in paragraph 7.1 of AASB 1033 “Presentation and Disclosure of Financial Instruments” (whether or not that accounting standard applies to the Entity or for the financial year) and includes, but is not limited to, transactions involving loans, financial investments (other than in shares and share options), deposits, borrowings, bills of exchange, foreign exchange contracts, forward rate agreements, interest and currency swaps, futures contracts and options, caps, collars and floor agreements and any of the following where credit related, provision of security, endorsements, guarantees and commitments and any income or expenditure relating to such a transaction, and, except for futures contracts, does not include a transaction which has as its subject matter goods (other than financial assets) or services.

Pursuant to subsection 341(1) of the Corporations Law the Australian Securities and Investments Commission hereby revokes Class Order Number 97/1016 dated 9 July 1997 with effect from:

(i) in respect of entities which apply the relief provided by Class Order 98/0095 dated 10 July 1998, financial years ending after 7 July 1998; and

(ii) in all other cases, financial years ending after 30 June 1998.

 

 

 

 

Notes to ASIC Class Order [CO 98/110]

Note 1

ASIC Class Order [CO 98/110] (in force under 341(1) of the Corporations Act 2001) as shown in this compilation comprises that Class Order amended as indicated in the Tables below.

Table of Instruments

Instrument number

Date of making or FRLI registration

Date of commencement

Application, saving or transitional provisions

[CO 98/110]

10/7/1998

10/7/1998

-

[CO 99/1224]

30/8/1999

30/8/1999

-

[CO 00/321]

8/2/2000

8/2/2000

-

[CO 04/665]

15/7/2004

15/7/2004

-

[CO 05/640]

28/7/2005

28/7/2005

-

Table of Amendments

ad. = added or inserted     am. = amended     rep. = repealed     rs. = repealed and substituted

Provision affected

How affected

Para (a)(i)

am. [CO 04/665]

Schedule, introductory para

am. [CO 05/640]

Schedule, paras (i) and (ii)

rs. [CO 04/665]

Schedule, paras (iii) and (iv)

ad. [CO 04/665]

Definitions

am. [CO 99/1224]; [CO 00/321]; [CO 04/665]; ad. [CO 99/1224]; [CO 04/665]

Class order

am. [CO 99/1224]; [CO 04/665]

 

 

Overview

The ASIC Class Order [CO 98/110], enacted under the Corporations Act 2001, addresses the need for streamlined disclosure requirements for authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs) and related entities concerning related party balances and transactions. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) introduced this legislation to alleviate the burden of compliance for ADIs and entities controlled by ADIs, while still ensuring transparency in financial reporting. This Class Order allows these entities to avoid stringent disclosure requirements if they comply with certain conditions, such as lodging statutory declarations and summaries in their financial reports. The policy objective of this Class Order is to maintain financial transparency and efficiency in reporting without overburdening ADIs with excessive compliance measures. The Class Order has undergone several amendments since its inception, with the most recent amendment being [CO 05/640], which came into effect on 28 July 2005.

Scope and Application

The ASIC Class Order [CO 98/110], made under subsection 341(1) of the Corporations Act 2001, applies to companies and disclosing entities that are Authorised Deposit-taking Institutions (ADIs), the parent entity of an ADI, or an entity controlled by an ADI. The order provides relief from certain financial reporting requirements specified in the Act, provided that the entity lodges a statutory declaration affirming the presence of internal controls and procedures designed to ensure the disclosure of material financial instrument transactions. This relief is contingent on the entity including a summary of the class order in its financial report. The class order exempts certain loans and financial instrument transactions from stringent disclosure requirements if they are made, guaranteed, or secured by a bank and are not likely to adversely affect the decisions of financial report users. The geographic reach of the order is national, as it applies to entities operating under the Corporations Act 2001 across Australia. The order has been amended several times, most recently by [CO 05/640], which took effect on 28 July 2005, and it revokes the earlier Class Order [CO 97/1016] for applicable entities.

Key Provisions

The ASIC Class Order [CO 98/110] ADIs – Related Party Balances and Transactions, issued under subsection 341(1) of the Corporations Act 2001, provides relief from specific reporting requirements for Authorised Deposit-taking Institutions (ADIs), their parent entities, and entities controlled by an ADI. The order applies on the condition that a statutory declaration is lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) as part of the Entity’s financial report. For ADIs or parent entities of an ADI, the declaration must be made by two directors, while for other controlled entities, it must be made by two directors of the controlling ADI. The declaration must confirm that the Entity has internal controls to identify and disclose material financial transactions that could affect users' decisions. Additionally, a summary of the Class Order must be included in the notes to the financial report. The Act imposes several obligations on the entities governed by this Class Order. Firstly, these entities must ensure that their systems of internal controls and procedures are adequate to identify and disclose any material financial transactions that may need to be reported in their financial statements. Secondly, they must prepare a statutory declaration affirming the existence and effectiveness of these internal controls, which must be lodged with ASIC alongside the financial report. Furthermore, a summary of the Class Order must be included in the notes to the financial report, providing transparency about the relief granted and its implications. Failure to comply with the requirements of this Class Order may result in civil or criminal consequences. While the specific penalties are not detailed within the text of the Class Order, breaches of the Corporations Act 2001, which underpins this order, can result in substantial penalties. For corporations, the maximum penalties can include fines up to several million dollars, while individuals involved in the breach may face fines and imprisonment. The exact penalties depend on the nature and severity of the breach, as well as any previous offences.

Legal classification tags

Area of Law
Corporate Law & Governance
Instrument
Legislative Instrument
Concepts
Definitions & Interpretation
Reporting & Disclosure Obligations
Compliance Obligations

Interactions

Authorises

All Versions

Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.