기업의 가상자산 보유량은 점차 증가하고 있고, 그 보유 목적도 다양해지고 있다. 그러나 현재까지 가상자산과 관련한 명확한 회계처리 기준은 부족한 실정이다. 한편, 기업이 가상자산을 스스로 발행하는 경우, 가상자산의 운영과 관리는 투자의사결정에 매우 중요한 정보임에도 불구하고, 가상자산의 유통량 및 향후 매각 계획 등 해당 가상자산과 관련한 정보를 발행기업의 재무보고서 어디에 서도 확인하기 어렵다. 최근 국내에서도 가상자산을 발행하는 기업이 가상자산을 대량 발행하여 매각하는 사례가 발생하였다. 본 연구 에서는 온라인 게임 소프트웨어 개발 및 공급을 주요 사업으로 하는 W-enter의 사례를 바탕으로 가상자산 발행자의 회계처리 및 공시에 대해 논의한다. 구체적으로, W-enter는 2021년 말 자신들이 발행한 W-coin을 사전에 충분한 공시 없이 매도하고, 이를 통해 마련한 현금으 로 동종계열의 기업을 인수하는 등 기업 운영 및 투자자금으로 활용하였다. 해당 거래 이전까지 보고된 W-enter의 재무제표에 따르면, 가상자산은 무형자산으로 회계처리하고 있다고 공시하고 있다. 그러나 가상자산의 종류 및 보유금액에 대한 정보는 알 수 없으며, W-coin의 포함여부도 짐작할 수 없었다. 그리고 W-enter는 2021년 4분기 잠정실적공시에서 W-coin의 매각금액을 매출 수익으로 보고하였 다가 2021년 사업보고서에서 선수수익으로 변경하여 공시하였다. 본 사례는 가상자산의 발행자에 초점을 두어, 가상자산의 발행, 보유 및 매각 시의 적절한 회계처리에 대해 논의해 본다. 이러한 논의를 통해 가상자산의 실질을 반영할 수 있는 별도의 회계처리 기준 및 공시지침이 마련되기를 기대한다.
Virtual or crypto assets have recently attracted considerable attention from companies. According to the diversified types of virtual assets, their holding purposes and acquisition routes are also becoming very diverse. However, accounting standards and regulations regarding virtual assets remain unclear and insufficient. The current accounting standards for virtual assets follow the tentative agenda-based decisions of the IFRS Interpretations Committee, as of June 2019. According to the IFRIC, IAS 2 Inventories or IAS 38 Intangible Assets applies to virtual assets depending on the purpose of holding them. Since then, the specific accounting standards for virtual assets have not been discussed. Virtual assets are characteristically distinct from inventory and intangible assets, and this standard does not reflect the economic substance of virtual assets. Owing to the absence of these standards and regulations, firms do not disclose virtual assets in their financial statements or disclose them only partially, leading to distorted financial statements of a firm’s economic substance. Therefore, the information usefulness for investors is highly likely to be hindered. In particular, accounting information is more important when a firm is an issuer rather than a simple holder of virtual assets. For firms that issue virtual assets themselves, their activities related to the operation and management of virtual assets are very important items of information for investment decision-making. Nevertheless, information related to the virtual assets issued by the firm, such as quantity and future sales plans, is not included in any of its financial reports.
Recently, in Korea, a KOSDAQ-listed firm issued virtual assets and sold them in large quantities. Although many start-up companies issue virtual assets to raise capital, it is difficult to find cases in which a listed firm has raised a substantial amount of cash using virtual assets, not only in Korea but also in overseas capital markets. Based on the case of W-enter, whose main business entails the development and supply of online game software, this study discusses accounting standards and disclosure methods for issuers of virtual assets. Specifically, W-enter’s virtual asset transactions and accounting practices are as follows. First, at the end of 2021, W-enter sold self-issued W-coins without sufficient pre-disclosure. In other words, they exchanged their virtual assets for cash. Notably, the approximately 200 billion won of cash raised through this sale was used for business operation and investment funds, such as acquiring companies in the same industry. According to the financial statements reported before the transaction, W-enter classified virtual assets as intangible assets. However, information on the type and amount of virtual assets held could not be established through the financial statements, neither was it possible to determine whether W-coins were included. In the preliminary earnings announcements for the fourth quarter of 2021, W-enter disclosed the sale amount of W-coins as sales. This accounting policy for W-coin was changed during the auditing process. In the 2021 financial report released in March, W-enter classified the proceeds from the sale of W-coins as unearned revenue, that is, liabilities. As the obligation to provide services to investors of virtual assets remains, it has been treated as a form of deferred revenue, which is an accounting practice of recognizing sales when the obligation expires in the future.
Therefore, this case study has implications regarding the issuer of virtual assets and an appropriate accounting policy for the issuance, holding, and sale of virtual assets. Developing regulations for the virtual asset market to protect both investors in the virtual asset market and the stock market is an urgent issue; thus far, the relevant standards and regulations have been unable to keep up with the actual site. Under these circumstances, sufficient information on virtual asset issuance and its operation should be deliverable to investors, at least for listed firms. In this respect, this case study suggests that there is a need for relevant guidance by supervisory authorities and that accounting standards for virtual assets will be established so that financial information reflects the economic substance of virtual assets and improves the usefulness of accounting information.