A video has been posted that includes members of the working group that developed the International Valuation Glossary—Business Valuation, a revised version of a prior glossary published in 2001. This was a collaborative effort that began in May 2019 and involved several valuation professional organizations (VPOs) as well as other stakeholders. You can access a copy of the new glossary if you click here.

Key point: “We do not intend the glossary to be authoritative—rather a helpful tool and a precursor to a harmonization of terms,” says Lucas Parris (ASA, USA) in the video. Steve Choi (RICS, USA) adds: “If any term in this glossary conflicts with a published governmental, judicial, or accounting authority, precedence should be given to the use and interpretation of terms as they appear in applicable published authoritative guidance, given the purpose of the valuation.”

The prior glossary needed an update because new terms have gained traction and become more popular in the market and in practice, particularly with the introduction of fair value in IFRS and US GAAP and the increasing importance of intangible asset valuation.

Living document: It will certainly not be another 20 years before this new glossary gets updated. “The working group expects to revisit the glossary periodically and update it as needed, bringing in input from additional organizations beyond those listed in the glossary to promote ever wider use of the document,” says Alexander Aronsohn (IVSC, UK).

The other members of the working group are: Catalina Miranda (chair; CBV Institute, Canada); Jeffrey Tarbell (ASA, USA); Muath Alkhalaf (TAQEEM, Saudi Arabia); and Omar Mohammad Zaman (TAQEEM, Saudi Arabia).