Basis of presentation

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2019

The Brink’s Company (along with its subsidiaries, “Brink’s” or “we”) has three operating segments:


•	North America


•	South America


•	Rest of World

Our unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial reporting and applicable quarterly reporting regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Accordingly, the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements do not include all of the information and notes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the full year. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018.

We have made a number of estimates and assumptions relating to the reporting of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities to prepare these condensed consolidated financial statements. Actual results could differ materially from these estimates. The most significant estimates are related to goodwill and other long-lived assets, pension and other retirement benefit obligations, legal contingencies and deferred tax assets.

Consolidation

The condensed consolidated financial statements include our controlled subsidiaries. Control is determined based on ownership rights or, when applicable, based on whether we are considered to be the primary beneficiary of a variable interest entity. See "Venezuela" section below for further information. For controlled subsidiaries that are not wholly-owned, the noncontrolling interests are included in net income and in total equity.

Investments in businesses that we do not control, but for which we have the ability to exercise significant influence over operating and financial policies, are accounted for under the equity method and our proportionate share of income or loss is recorded in other operating income (expense). Investments in businesses for which we do not have the ability to exercise significant influence over operating and financial policies are accounted for at fair value, if readily determinable, with changes in fair value recognized in net income. For equity investments that do not have a readily determinable fair value, we measure these investments at cost minus impairment, if any, plus or minus changes from observable price changes. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Foreign Currency Translation

Our condensed consolidated financial statements are reported in U.S. dollars. Our foreign subsidiaries maintain their records primarily in the currency of the country in which they operate. The method of translating local currency financial information into U.S. dollars depends on whether the economy in which our foreign subsidiary operates has been designated as highly inflationary or not. Economies with a three-year cumulative inflation rate of more than 100% are considered highly inflationary.

Assets and liabilities of foreign subsidiaries in non-highly inflationary economies are translated into U.S. dollars using rates of exchange at the balance sheet date. Translation adjustments are recorded in other comprehensive income (loss). Revenues and expenses are translated at rates of exchange in effect during the year. Transaction gains and losses are recorded in net income.

Foreign subsidiaries that operate in highly inflationary countries use the U.S. dollar as their functional currency. Local currency monetary assets and liabilities are remeasured into U.S. dollars using rates of exchange as of each balance sheet date, with remeasurement adjustments and other transaction gains and losses recognized in earnings. Other than nonmonetary equity securities, nonmonetary assets and liabilities do not fluctuate with changes in local currency exchange rates to the dollar. For nonmonetary equity securities traded in highly inflationary economies, the fair market value of the equity securities are remeasured at the current exchange rates to determine gain or loss to be recorded in net income. Revenues and expenses are translated at rates of exchange in effect during the year.

Argentina

We operate in Argentina through wholly owned subsidiaries and a smaller controlled subsidiary (together "Brink's Argentina"). Revenues from Brink's Argentina represented approximately 6% of our consolidated revenues for the first six months of 2019 and 8% of our consolidated revenues for the first six months of 2018. The operating environment in Argentina continues to present business challenges, including ongoing devaluation of the Argentine peso and significant inflation. In the first six months of 2019 and 2018, the Argentine peso declined approximately 12% (from 37.6 to 42.6 pesos to the U.S. dollar) and approximately 36% (from 18.6 to 28.9 pesos to the U.S. dollar),

respectively. For the year ended December 31, 2018, the Argentine peso declined approximately 50% (from 18.6 to 37.6 pesos to the U.S. dollar).

Beginning July 1, 2018, we designated Argentina's economy as highly inflationary for accounting purposes. As a result, we consolidated Brink's Argentina using our accounting policy for subsidiaries operating in highly inflationary economies beginning with the third quarter of 2018. Argentine peso-denominated monetary assets and liabilities are remeasured at each balance sheet date using the currency exchange rate then in effect, with currency remeasurement gains and losses recognized in earnings. In the second half of 2018, we recognized a $6.2 million pretax remeasurement loss. In the first six months of 2019, we recognized a $3.4 million pretax remeasurement loss. At June 30, 2019, Argentina's economy remains highly inflationary for accounting purposes.

At June 30, 2019, we had net monetary assets denominated in Argentine pesos of $28.7 million (including cash of $18.6 million). At June 30, 2019, we had net nonmonetary assets of $149.5 million (including $99.8 million of goodwill). At June 30, 2019, we had no equity securities denominated in Argentine pesos.

Venezuela

Deconsolidation. Our Venezuelan operations offer transportation and route-based logistics management services for cash and valuables throughout Venezuela. Political and economic conditions in Venezuela, the impact of local laws on our business as well as the currency exchange control regulations and continued reductions in access to U.S. dollars through official currency exchange mechanisms, resulted in an other-than-temporary lack of exchangeability between the Venezuelan bolivar and the U.S. dollar. These conditions restricted the ability of our Venezuelan operations to pay dividends and royalties. It also restricted the ability for our Venezuela business to settle other operating liabilities which significantly increased the risk that this business will no longer be self-sustaining.

The currency exchange regulations, combined with other government regulations, such as price controls and strict labor laws, significantly limited our ability to make and execute operational decisions at our Venezuelan subsidiaries. With the May 2018 re-election of the President in Venezuela for an additional six-year term, we expect these conditions to continue for the foreseeable future.

As a result of the conditions described above, we concluded that, effective June 30, 2018, we did not meet the accounting criteria for control over our Venezuelan operations and, as a result, we began reporting the results of our investment in our Venezuelan subsidiaries using the cost method of accounting. This change resulted in a pretax charge of $127 million in the second quarter of 2018. The pretax charge included $106 million of foreign currency translation losses and benefit plan adjustments previously included in accumulated other comprehensive loss. It also included the derecognition of the carrying amounts of our Venezuelan operations’ assets and liabilities, including $32 million of assets and $11 million of liabilities, that were no longer reported in our condensed consolidated balance sheet as of June 30, 2018. We determined the fair value of our investment in, and receivables from, our Venezuelan subsidiaries to be insignificant based on our expectations of dividend payments and settlements of such receivables in future periods. For reporting periods beginning after June 30, 2018, we have not included the operating results of our Venezuela operations. In 2019 and 2018, we provided immaterial amounts of financial support to our Venezuela operations. We may incur losses resulting from our Venezuelan business to the extent that we provide U.S. dollars or make future investments in our Venezuelan subsidiaries, including any additional investments made directly in our Venezuelan subsidiaries or additional costs incurred by us to address compliance with recent sanctions and other regulatory requirements imposed by the U.S. government that restrict our ability to conduct business in Venezuela.

We continue to monitor the situation in Venezuela, including the imposition of sanctions by the U.S. government targeting Venezuela.

Highly Inflationary Accounting. The economy in Venezuela has had significant inflation in the last several years. Prior to deconsolidation as of June 30, 2018, we reported our Venezuelan results using our accounting policy for subsidiaries operating in highly inflationary economies. Results from our Venezuelan operations prior to the June 30, 2018 deconsolidation are included in items not allocated to segments and are excluded from the operating segments.

Remeasurement rates during 2018. Prior to deconsolidation as of June 30, 2018, in the first six months of 2018, the rate declined approximately 97%. In the first six months of 2018, we recognized a $2.2 million pretax remeasurement gain. The after-tax effect of this gain attributable to noncontrolling interest was $2.0 million.

New Accounting Standards

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue From Contracts with Customers. Under this standard, an entity recognizes an amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled when the transfer of goods or services to customers occurs. The standard requires expanded disclosures regarding the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. We adopted this standard effective January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective method and recognized a cumulative-effect adjustment increasing retained earnings by $1.5 million.

The FASB issued ASU 2016-01, Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities, in January 2016. This new guidance changes the accounting related to the classification and measurement of certain equity investments. Equity investments with readily determinable fair values must be measured at fair value. All changes in fair value will be recognized in net income as opposed to other comprehensive income. We adopted ASU 2016-01 effective January 1, 2018 and recognized a cumulative-effect adjustment increasing retained earnings by $1.1 million.

In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-16, Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory, which changes the timing of when certain intercompany transactions are recognized within the provision for income taxes. We adopted ASU 2016-16 effective January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective method and we recognized a cumulative-effect adjustment increasing retained earnings by $0.7 million.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which requires the recognition of right-of-use assets and lease liabilities by lessees for certain leases classified as operating leases and also requires expanded disclosures regarding leasing activities. The accounting for capital leases remains substantially unchanged. We have adopted the standard effective January 1, 2019 and have elected to adopt the new standard at the adoption date through a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings. Under this approach, we will continue to report comparative periods under ASC 840.

We have elected the package of practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance within the new standard, which among other things, allows us to carry forward the historical lease classification. We also made an accounting policy election to exclude leases with an initial term of 12 months or less from the condensed consolidated balance sheet. We will recognize those lease payments in the condensed consolidated statements of operations on a straight-line basis over the lease term. As part of this adoption, we have implemented internal controls and key system functionality to enable the preparation of financial information.

The adoption of the standard resulted in recording right-of-use assets of $310.1 million and lease liabilities of $320.3 million as of January 1, 2019. The right-of-use assets are lower than the lease liabilities as existing deferred rent and lease incentive liabilities were recorded against the right-of-use assets at adoption in accordance with the standard. The standard did not affect our condensed consolidated statements of operations or our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows. The standard had no impact on our debt-covenant compliance under our current agreements.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other: Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment, which eliminates the requirement that an entity perform a hypothetical purchase price allocation to measure goodwill impairment. Instead, impairment will be measured using the difference between the carrying amount and the fair value of the reporting unit. We early adopted this ASU effective January 1, 2019. The early adoption did not have any impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements.

In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-12, Derivatives and Hedging: Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities, which amends and simplifies the application of hedge accounting guidance to better portray the economic results of risk management activities in the financial statements. The guidance expands the ability to hedge nonfinancial and financial risk components, reduces complexity in fair value hedges of interest rate risk, eliminates the requirement to separately measure and report hedge ineffectiveness, and eases certain hedge effectiveness assessment requirements. We adopted the standard effective January 1, 2019 with no significant impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements.

In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-02, Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, which allows a reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings for stranded tax effects resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“Tax Reform Act”). We adopted ASU 2018-02 effective January 1, 2019 and elected to recognize a cumulative-effect adjustment increasing retained earnings by $28.8 million related to the change in the U.S. federal corporate tax rate.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, Disclosure Framework—Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement, which changes the fair value measurement disclosure requirements. The guidance is effective January 1, 2020 with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the potential impact of the standard on financial reporting and the timing of adoption.