Auditor's Report
To the Annual General Meeting of Sampo plc
Report on the Audit of Financial Statements
Opinion
We have audited the financial statements of Sampo plc (business identity code 0142213-3) for the year ended 31 December, 2017. The financial statements comprise the consolidated balance sheet, income statement, statement of comprehensive income, statement of changes in equity, statement of cash flows and notes, including a summary of significant accounting policies, as well as the parent company’s balance sheet, income statement, statement of cash flows and notes
In our opinion
- the consolidated financial statements give a true and fair view of the group’s financial position as well as its financial performance and its cash flows in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as adopted by the EU.
- the financial statements give a true and fair view of the parent company’s financial performance and financial position in accordance with the laws and regulations governing the preparation of financial statements in Finland and comply with statutory requirements.
Our opinion is consistent with the additional report submitted to the Audit Committee.
Basis for Opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with good auditing practice in Finland. Our responsibilities under good auditing practice are further described in the Auditor’s Responsibilities for the Audit of Financial Statements section of our report.
We are independent of the parent company and of the group companies in accordance with the ethical requirements that are applicable in Finland and are relevant to our audit, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements.
In our best knowledge and understanding, the non-audit services that we have provided to the parent company and group companies are in compliance with laws and regulations applicable in Finland regarding these services, and we have not provided any prohibited non-audit services referred to in Article 5(1) of regulation (EU) 537/2014. The non-audit services that we have provided have been disclosed in note 36 to the consolidated financial statements and note 3 to the parent company financial statements.
We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
Key Audit Matters
Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional judgment, were of most significance in our audit of the financial statements of the current period. These matters were addressed in the context of our audit of the financial statements as a whole, and in forming our opinion thereon, and we do not provide a separate opinion on these matters.
We have fulfilled the responsibilities described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report, including in relation to these matters. Accordingly, our audit included the performance of procedures designed to respond to our assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements. The results of our audit procedures, including the procedures performed to address the matters below, provide the basis for our audit opinion on the accompanying financial statements.
We have also addressed the risk of management override of internal controls. This includes consideration of whether there was evidence of management bias that represented a risk of material misstatement due to fraud.
Key Audit Matter |
How our audit addressed the Key Audit Matter |
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Valuation of insurance contract liabilities |
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At 31.12.2017 the Group has insurance contract liabilities representing amounting to mEUR 30,158 (31.12.2016: mEUR 20,600) which represents 84 % of the Group’s total liabilities and it is thus the single largest liability of the Group. The insurance contract liabilities comprise life and non-life insurance contract liabilities. The life insurance contract liabilities are based on estimate of future claims payments. The estimate is based on assumptions which include uncertainty. Changes in assumptions can result in material impacts to the valuation of the liabilities. Key assumption areas include interest rate and life expectancy of policy holders. The estimation of non-life insurance contract liabilities involves significant assumptions to be made in provisions for claims outstanding. Key assumption areas include inflation rate and life expectancy of beneficiaries. The liabilities are based on a best estimate of ultimate cost of all claims incurred but not settled, whether reported or not, together with claims handling costs. |
Our audit procedures included evaluation of the governance around the overall Group reserving process, and included testing the operating effectiveness of key controls over the identification, measurement and management of the Group’s calculation of insurance liabilities. We evaluated the appropriateness of methodologies and assumptions used, and independently re-projected the reserve balances for certain classes of business. We involved our internal actuarial specialists to assist us in assessing the appropriateness of assumptions used. We assessed the adequacy of disclosures relating to insurance contracts liabilities. |
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Valuation of financial assets |
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The Group’s investment portfolio excluding investments in associates represents amounts to mEUR 33,615 (2016: mEUR 24,386 which represents 68 % of the Group’s total assets. Fair value measurement can be subjective, specifically in areas where fair value is based on a model based valuation. Valuation techniques for private equity funds, non-listed bonds and non-listed equities involve setting various assumptions regarding pricing factors. The use of different valuation techniques and assumptions could lead to different estimates of fair value. Specific areas of audit focus include the valuation of level 2 and 3 assets according to IFRS where valuation techniques use unobservable inputs. Of financial assets level 2 assets amount to mEUR 7,096 and level 3 assets to mEUR 1,231 (refer to note 16). This matter is a significant risk of material misstatement referred to in EU Regulation No 537/241, point (c) of Article 10(2). |
Our audit procedures included testing the effectiveness of controls in place over recording fair values of assets using unobservable input. We performed additional procedures for areas of higher risk and estimation, involving our valuation specialists. In respect of the investments in private equity funds, we evaluated and tested the procedures of the Group to determine the fair value of these investments. The procedures include assessment of fund net asset value based on the fair value of underlying investment, independent broker valuations and evidence of underlying financial data. We assessed the adequacy of disclosures relating to the financial assets. |
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Associated company Nordea |
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The value of the Nordea shares in the consolidated balance sheet amounts to mEUR 7,578 (31.12.2016: mEUR 7,554). The Group’s ownership in Nordea Bank Abp is 21.25%. Nordea Bank Abp is an associated company of the Group, and is accounted for based on equity accounting. The holding in Nordea Bank Abp represents 15% of the Group’s total assets. |
Our audit procedures included testing the effectiveness of controls in place over recognizing the Group’s share of Nordea’s financial information, and assessing a potential indicator of impairment by comparing the book value of the Nordea holding to the market value of the Group’s ownership at the reporting date. We assessed the adequacy of disclosures relating to associated companies. |
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Acquisition of Topdanmark A/S |
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Topdanmark A/S has been consolidated as a subsidiary as of 30.9.2017, which is determined to be the acquisition date. The company was previously accounted for as an associated entity. The acquisition is a business combination achieved in stages where the previously held equity interest in Topdanmark A/S is remeasured at fair value, and the gain is recognized in profit. The business combination is a key audit matter due to the valuation processes and –methods related to the acquisition and as it involves estimates by management. Management’s judgement and estimates are specifically connected to determination of the acquisition date and determination of the fair values of acquired assets and liabilities, relating to e.g. allocation of the purchase consideration to identified intangible assets as customer relationships and trademark. |
We assessed the adequacy of disclosures relating to the business combination. |
Responsibilities of the Board of Directors and the Managing Director for the Financial Statements
The Board of Directors and the Managing Director are responsible for the preparation of consolidated financial statements that give a true and fair view in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as adopted by the EU, and of financial statements that give a true and fair view in accordance with the laws and regulations governing the preparation of financial statements in Finland and comply with statutory requirements. The Board of Directors and the Managing Director are also responsible for such internal control as they determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, the Board of Directors and the Managing Director are responsible for assessing the parent company’s and the group’s ability to continue as going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters relating to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting. The financial statements are prepared using the going concern basis of accounting unless there is an intention to liquidate the parent company or the group or cease operations, or there is no realistic alternative but to do so.
Auditor’s Responsibilities for the Audit of Financial Statements
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance on whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with good auditing practice will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of the financial statements.
As part of an audit in accordance with good auditing practice, we exercise professional judgment and maintain professional skepticism throughout the audit. We also:
- Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control.
- Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the parent company’s or the group’s internal control.
- Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates and related disclosures made by management.
- Conclude on the appropriateness of the Board of Directors’ and the Managing Director’s use of the going concern basis of accounting and based on the audit evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the parent company’s or the group’s ability to continue as a going concern. If we conclude that a material uncertainty exists, we are required to draw attention in our auditor’s report to the related disclosures in the financial statements or, if such disclosures are inadequate, to modify our opinion. Our conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of our auditor’s report. However, future events or conditions may cause the parent company or the group to cease to continue as a going concern.
- Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of the financial statements, including the disclosures, and whether the financial statements represent the underlying transactions and events so that the financial statements give a true and fair view.
- Obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence regarding the financial information of the entities or business activities within the group to express an opinion on the consolidated financial statements. We are responsible for the direction, supervision and performance of the group audit. We remain solely responsible for our audit opinion.
We communicate with those charged with governance regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that we identify during our audit.
We also provide those charged with governance with a statement that we have complied with relevant ethical requirements regarding independence, and communicate with them all relationships and other matters that may reasonably be thought to bear on our independence, and where applicable, related safeguards.
From the matters communicated with those charged with governance, we determine those matters that were of most significance in the audit of the financial statements of the current period and are therefore the key audit matters. We describe these matters in our auditor’s report unless law or regulation precludes public disclosure about the matter or when, in extremely rare circumstances, we determine that a matter should not be communicated in our report because the adverse consequences of doing so would reasonably be expected to outweigh the public interest benefits of such communication.
Other Reporting Requirements
Information on our audit engagement
We were first appointed as auditors by the Annual General Meeting on 10.4.2002, and our appointment represents a total period of uninterrupted engagement of 16 years.
Other information
The Board of Directors and the Managing Director are responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the report of the Board of Directors and the information included in the Annual Report, but does not include the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. We have obtained the report of the Board of Directors prior to the date of this auditor’s report, and the Annual Report is expected to be made available to us after that date.
Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information.
In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information identified above and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. With respect to report of the Board of Directors, our responsibility also includes considering whether the report of the Board of Directors has been prepared in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations.
In our opinion, the information in the report of the Board of Directors is consistent with the information in the financial statements and the report of the Board of Directors has been prepared in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations.
If, based on the work we have performed on the other information that we obtained prior to the date of this auditor’s report, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report in this regard.
Opinions based on the assignment of the Audit Committee
We support that the financial statements should be adopted. The proposal by the Board of Directors regarding the use of the profit shown in the balance sheet is in compliance with the Limited Liability Companies Act. We support that the members of the Board of Directors of the parent company and the Managing Director should be discharged from liability for the financial period audited by us.
Helsinki, 28 February 2018
Ernst & Young Oy
Authorized Public Accountant Firm
Kristina Sandin
Authorized Public Accountant