The acronym "IAS" stands for International Accounting Standards. This is a set of accounting standards set by the International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC), located in London, England. The IASC has a number of different bodies, the main one being the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), which is the standard-setting body of the IASC. The acronym "GAAP" stands for Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.

The IASC does not set GAAP, nor does it have any legal authority over GAAP. The IASC can be thought of as merely a very influential group of people who love making up accounting rules. However, a lot of people actually do listen to what the IASC and IASB have to say on matters of accounting.

When the IASB sets a brand new accounting standard, a number of countries tend to adopt the standard, or at least interpret it, and fit it into their individual country's accounting standards. These standards, as set by each particular country's accounting standards boar ...more