Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2021

Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies

2. Summary of significant accounting policies

Basis of presentation

The accompanying unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements are prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP) and include the accounts of the Company, its wholly-owned subsidiaries and consolidated Variable Interest Entities (“VIE”). These interim condensed consolidated financial statements are stated in U.S. dollars, except where otherwise indicated. Intercompany transactions and balances with subsidiaries have been eliminated for consolidation purposes.

Substantially all net revenues, cost of net revenues and operating expenses are generated in the Company’s foreign operations. Long-lived assets, intangible assets and goodwill located in the foreign jurisdictions totaled $552,837 thousands and $490,464 thousands as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively.

These interim condensed consolidated financial statements reflect the Company’s consolidated financial position as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020. These consolidated financial statements include the Company’s consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, equity and cash flows for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2021. These interim condensed consolidated financial statements include all normal recurring adjustments that Management believes are necessary to fairly state the Company’s financial position, operating results and cash flows.

From the quarter ended March 31, 2021 the Company disclosed Net product revenues as a separate line of Net revenues following its growth in significance relative to Net service revenues. As a result, the Company has reclassified the corresponding amount of the three month period ended March 31, 2020 to the line Net product revenues for an amount of $12,199 thousands for comparative purposes.

Because all of the disclosures required by U.S. GAAP for annual consolidated financial statements are not included herein, these unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2020, contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The Company has evaluated all subsequent events through the date these condensed consolidated financial statements were issued. The condensed consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, equity and cash flows for the periods presented herein are not necessarily indicative of results expected for any future period. For a more detailed discussion of the Company’s significant accounting policies, see note 2 to the financial statements in the Company’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. During the three-month period ended March 31, 2021, there were no material updates made to the Company’s significant accounting policies.

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Revenue recognition

Revenue recognition criteria for the services provided and goods sold by the Company are described in note 2 to the consolidated financial statements in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.

Contract Balances

Timing of revenue recognition may differ from the timing of invoicing to customers. Receivables represent amounts invoiced and revenue recognized prior to invoicing when the Company has satisfied the performance obligation and has the unconditional right to payment. Receivables are presented net of allowance for doubtful accounts, loans receivable and chargebacks of $176,912 thousands and $126,661 thousands as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively.

Deferred revenue consists of fees received related to unsatisfied performance obligations at the end of the period in accordance with ASC 606. Due to the generally short-term duration of contracts, the majority of the performance obligations are satisfied in the following reporting period. Deferred revenue as of December 31, 2020 and 2019 was $32,519 thousands and $16,590 thousands, respectively, of which $9,413 thousands and $5,562 thousands were recognized as revenue during the three-month periods ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

As of March 31, 2021, total deferred revenue was $18,556 thousands, mainly due to fees related to listing and optional feature services billed and loyalty programs that are expected to be recognized as revenue in the coming months.

Digital Assets

During the first quarter of 2021, the Company purchased an aggregate amount of $7,800 thousands in bitcoins. The Company accounts for its digital assets—bitcoins— as indefinite-lived intangible assets, in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 350, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other. The Company has ownership of and control over its digital assets and uses third-party custodial services to store its digital assets. The Company’s digital assets are initially recorded at cost. Subsequently, they are measured at cost, net of any impairment losses incurred since acquisition.

The Company performs an analysis each quarter to identify whether events or changes in circumstances, principally decreases in the quoted prices on the active exchange, indicate that any decrease in the fair values of the digital assets below the carrying values for such assets subsequent to their acquisition will result in a recognition of impairment charges. The Company determines the fair value of its digital assets in accordance with ASC 820, Fair Value Measurement.

Impairment losses are recognized in the period in which the impairment is identified. The impaired digital assets are written down to their fair value at the time of impairment and this new cost basis will not be adjusted upward for any subsequent increase in fair value. Gains (if any) are not recorded until realized upon sale. In determining the gain to be recognized upon sale, the Company calculates the difference between the sales price and carrying value of the digital assets sold immediately prior to sale.

Repurchase of 2.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2028 - Extinguishment of debt

The derecognition of a convertible debt is based on the principle that an entity is extinguishing the liability component and reacquiring the equity component that was recognized at issuance. This approach is applied whether the debt was settled in cash, shares, other assets (or any combination), or at maturity upon conversion or upon early extinguishment. The settlement consideration is first allocated to the extinguishment of the liability component equal to the fair value of that component immediately prior to extinguishment. Any difference between that allocated amount and the net carrying amount of the liability component and unamortized debt issuance costs should be recognized as a gain or loss on debt extinguishment. Any remaining consideration is allocated to the reacquisition of the equity component and recognized as a reduction of stockholders’ equity. Any paid premium included in the repurchase price should be recognized as a loss when the debt is extinguished.

Foreign currency translation

All of the Company’s consolidated foreign operations use the local currency as their functional currency, except for Argentina, which has used the U.S. dollar as its functional currency since July 1, 2018. Accordingly, the foreign subsidiaries with local currency as functional currency translate assets and liabilities from their local currencies into U.S. dollars by using year-end exchange rates while income and expense accounts are translated at the average monthly rates in effect during the year, unless exchange rates fluctuate significantly during the period, in which case the exchange rates at the date of the transaction are used. The resulting translation adjustment is recorded as a component of other comprehensive loss.
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Argentine currency status

As of July 1, 2018, the Company transitioned its Argentinian operations to highly inflationary status in accordance with U.S. GAAP, and changed the functional currency for Argentine subsidiaries from Argentine Pesos to U.S. dollars, which is the functional currency of their immediate parent company.

Since the second half of 2019, the Argentine government instituted certain foreign currency exchange controls, which may restrict or partially restrict access to foreign currency, like the US dollar, to make payments abroad, either for foreign debt or the importation of goods or services, dividend payments and others, without prior authorization. Those regulations have continued to evolve, sometimes making them more or less stringent depending on the Argentine government´s perception of availability of sufficient national foreign currency reserves. The above has led to the existence of an informal foreign currency market where foreign currencies quote at levels significantly higher than the official exchange rate. However, the only exchange rate available for external commerce and financial payments is the official exchange rate, which as of March 31, 2021 was 92.0.

The Company uses Argentina’s official exchange rate to record the accounts of Argentine subsidiaries. The following table sets forth the assets, liabilities and net assets of the Company’s Argentine subsidiaries and consolidated VIEs, before intercompany eliminations, as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020:


	March 31,	December 31,
	2021	2020
	(In thousands)
Assets	$ 1,493,608	$ 1,470,885
Liabilities	1,154,563	1,230,326
Net Assets	$ 339,045	$ 240,559

Income taxes

The Company is subject to U.S. and foreign income taxes. The Company accounts for income taxes following the liability method of accounting which requires the recognition of deferred tax liabilities and assets for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the carrying amounts and the tax bases of assets and liabilities. Deferred tax assets are also recognized for tax loss carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets or liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. The Company’s income tax expense consists of taxes currently payable, if any, plus the change during the period in the Company’s deferred tax assets and liabilities.

A valuation allowance is recorded when, based on the available evidence, it is more likely than not that all or a portion of the Company’s deferred tax assets will not be realized. Accordingly, Management periodically assesses the need to establish a valuation allowance for deferred tax assets considering positive and negative objective evidence related to the realization of the deferred tax assets. In connection with this assessment, Management considers, among other factors, the nature, frequency and magnitude of current and cumulative losses on an individual subsidiary basis, projections of future taxable income, the duration of statutory carryforward periods, as well as feasible tax planning strategies that would be employed by the Company to prevent tax loss carryforwards from expiring unutilized. Based on Management’s assessment of available objective evidence and considering the future effect of the Company’s initiatives to capture long-term business opportunities, the Company accounted for a valuation allowance in certain subsidiaries in its Mexican operations of $12,176 thousands and $14,186 thousands for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

On June 10, 2019, the Argentine government enacted Law No. 27,506 (knowledge-based economy promotional regime), which established a regime that provides certain tax benefits for companies that meet specific criteria, such as companies that derive at least 70% of their revenues from certain specified activities related to the knowledge-based economy. The regime was suspended on January 20, 2020 until new rules for the application of the knowledge-based economy promotional regime were issued.

On June 25, 2020, the Chamber of Deputies passed changes to the knowledge-based economy promotional regime. The Chamber of Senates proposed further amendments, which were returned to the Chamber of Deputies and finally approved on October 7, 2020. The approved regime is effective as of January 1, 2020 until December 31, 2029.

Based on the amended promotional regime, companies that meet new specified criteria shall be entitled to: i) a reduction of the income tax burden of 60% (60% for micro and small enterprises, 40% for medium-sized enterprises and 20% for large enterprises) over the promoted activities for each fiscal year, applicable to both Argentine source income and foreign source income, ii) stability of the benefits established by the knowledge-based economy promotional regime (as long as the beneficiary is registered and in good standing), iii) a non-transferable tax credit bond amounting to 70% (which can be up to 80% in certain specific cases) of the Company’s contribution to the social security regime of every employee whose job is related to the promoted activities (caps on the number of employees are applicable). Such bonds can be used within 24 months from their issue date (which period can be extended for an additional 12 months in certain cases) to offset certain federal taxes, such as value-added tax, but they cannot be used to offset income tax.

On December 20, 2020, Argentina’s Executive Power issued Decree No. 1034/2020, which set the rules to implement the provisions of the knowledge-based economy promotional regime. Eligible companies must enroll in a registry according to the terms and conditions to be established by the Application Authority, which will verify compliance with the requirements. The Decree also set the mechanism for calculating the level of investment in research and development, the level of employee retention, exports, among others. It also establishes that exports of services from companies participating in this regime will not be subject to export duties.

On January 13, 2021, Argentina’s Ministry of Productive Development –current Application Authority of the knowledge-based economy promotional regime- issued Resolution No. 4/2021 which was followed by Disposition N° 11/2021 issued by the Under Secretariat of Knowledge Economy on February 12, 2021. Both rules establish further details on the requirements, terms, conditions, application, and compliance procedures to be eligible under the promotional regime.

MercadoLibre S.R.L. has submitted the application to be eligible to the knowledge-based economy promotional regime; such eligibility remains subject to Argentine government approval.

Fair value option applied to certain financial instruments

Under ASC 825, U.S. GAAP provides an option to elect fair value with impact on the statement of income as an alternative measurement for certain financial instruments and other items on the balance sheet.

The Company has elected to measure certain financial assets at fair value with impact on the statement of income from January 1, 2019 for several reasons including to avoid the mismatch generated by the recognition of certain linked instruments / transactions, separately, in consolidated statement of income and consolidated statement of other comprehensive income and to better reflect the financial model applied for selected instruments.

The Company’s election of the fair value option applies to the: i) Brazilian federal government bonds and ii) U.S. treasury notes. As result of the election of the fair value option, the Company recognized gains in interest income and other financial gains of $1,173 thousands and $12,004 thousands as of March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

The following table sets forth the Company’s accumulated other comprehensive loss as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020:


	March 31,	December 31,
	2021	2020
	(In thousands)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss:
Foreign currency translation	$ (508,438)	$ (466,569)
Unrealized gains (losses) on hedging activities	3,728	(2,469)
Estimated tax (expense) benefit on unrealized gains (losses)	(1,353)	754
	$ (506,063)	$ (468,284)

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The following tables summarize the changes in accumulated balances of other comprehensive loss for the three-months ended March 31, 2021:



	Unrealized	Foreign	Estimated tax
	(Losses) Gains on	Currency	benefit
	hedging activities, net	Translation	(expense)	Total
	(In thousands)
Balances as of December 31, 2020	$ (2,469)	$ (466,569)	$ 754	$ (468,284)
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications	5,561	(41,869)	(1,891)	(38,199)
Amount of (gain) loss reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss	636	—	(216)	420
Net current period other comprehensive income (loss)	6,197	(41,869)	(2,107)	(37,779)
Ending balance	$ 3,728	$ (508,438)	$ (1,353)	$ (506,063)



	Amount of (Loss) Gain
	Reclassified from
Details about Accumulated	Accumulated Other
Other Comprehensive Loss	Comprehensive	Affected Line Item
Components	Loss	in the Statement of Income
	(In thousands)
Unrealized losses on hedging activities	$ (636)	Cost of net revenues
Estimated tax benefit on unrealized gains	216	Income tax expense
Total reclassifications for the period	$ (420)	Total, net of income taxes

Use of estimates

The preparation of interim condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires Management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Estimates are used for, but not limited to, accounting for allowances for doubtful accounts and chargeback provisions, allowance for loans receivables, inventories valuation reserves, recoverability of goodwill, intangible assets with indefinite useful lives and deferred tax assets, impairment of short-term and long-term investments, impairment of long-lived assets, compensation costs relating to the Company’s long term retention plan, fair value of convertible debt, fair value of investments, fair value of derivative instruments, income taxes and contingencies and determination of the incremental borrowing rate at commencement date of lease operating agreements. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

On December 18, 2019 the FASB issued the ASU 2019-12 “Income taxes (Topic 740)—Simplifying the accounting for income taxes”. The amendments in this update simplify the accounting for income taxes by removing certain exceptions to the general principles and also improve consistent application by clarifying and amending existing guidance, such as franchise taxes and interim recognition of enactment of tax laws or rate changes. The amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the Company´s financial statements.

Recently issued accounting pronouncements not yet adopted

On August 5, 2020 the FASB issued the ASU 2020-06 “Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging— Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40)”. The amendments in this update address issues identified as a result of the complexity associated with applying generally accepted accounting principles for certain financial instruments with characteristics of liabilities and equity. For convertible instruments, accounting models for specific features are removed and amendments to the disclosure requirements are included. For contracts in an entity’s own equity, simplifies the settlement assessment by removing some requirements. Additionally, the amendments in this update affect the diluted EPS calculation for instruments that may be settled in cash or shares and for convertible instruments. The amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is assessing the effects that the adoption of this accounting pronouncement may have on its financial statements.