Classification determines how financial assets and financial liabilities are accounted for in financial statements and, in particular, how they are measured on an ongoing basis. IFRS 9 introduces a logical approach for the classification of financial assets driven by cash flow characteristics and the business model in which an asset is held. This single, principle-based approach replaces existing rule-based requirements that are complex and difficult to apply. The new model also results in a single impairment model being applied to all financial instruments removing a source of complexity associated with previous accounting requirements.