6.3.7 Sales in foreign currency
To record a sale in a foreign currency, translate the value of the sale to your local currency at the time of the
transaction. Please use either your current hedged rate or valid exchange rate of that month. If you make a sale
denominated in Euros on account, then record the sale at its current translation rate (or hedged).
For example, your local currency would be $USD and suppose you make a 2’000 Euro sale on credit, denominated in
Euros. At the time of the sale, the direct exchange rate with the Euro is $1.35. Total value of the sale would be $2’700
(2’000 Euro x $1.35).
DEBIT Trade receivables (EUR) $2’700
CREDIT Sales $2’700
Note that sales denominated in Euros may be segregated in a different Trade receivable account than sales
denominated in the local currency. You may do this in your local books but this level of detail is not needed for
Metrohm Group reporting. At the end of the period (financial year), all balance sheet accounts denominated in a
foreign currency must be adjusted based on their current translation rate. Any increases or decreases in value are
recorded as gains or losses on translation in the financial result.
For example, recall the 1’000 Euros sitting in our Cash (bank) - EUR account. It was previously valued at $1,350 USD
based on a translation rate of $1.35. Suppose that the translation rate increased to $1.40 by the end of the year.
Now your inventory of Euros is worth $1.40 x 1’000 Euros or $1’400 USD. This requires that you increase the account
by $50 ($1’400 minus $1’350):
DEBIT Cash (EUR) $50
CREDIT Gain on currency translation $50
Trade receivables denominated in a foreign currency must also be adjusted based on current exchange rates. Here
we had $2’000 worth of accounts receivable denominated in Euros. It was previously deemed to be worth $2,700
USD (see above). Now, because the exchange rate is $2’800, you can record a $100 gain:
DEBIT Trade receivables (EUR) $100
CREDIT Gain on currency translation $100
When recording transactions denominated in a foreign currency, you may set up locally separate asset accounts for
cash (bank) trade receivables and trade payables account that are denominated in that currency. These should be
adjusted for current exchange rates at the end of each period (financial year).