Futures Studies of the Key Drivers Influencing Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) in Capital Market Companies

Dhyaa Basil  Ghayadh al Halfi; Mehdi Safari Gerayli; Fayez Abdul   Hassan Jassim; Mohsen  Rahimi Dastjerdi

Authors

Dhyaa Basil Ghayadh al Halfi Department of Accounting, Isfahan Branch (Khorasgan), Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran. Author https://orcid.org/0009-0003-4066-5007
Mehdi Safari Gerayli Department of Accounting, BG.C., Islamic Azad University, Bandargaz, Iran. Corresponding Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3431-7869
Fayez Abdul Hassan Jassim Associate Professor of Legal Accounting, Department of Accounting, Maysan University, Maysan, Iraq. Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6737-3272
Mohsen Rahimi Dastjerdi Department of Accounting, Isfahan Branch (Khorasgan), Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran. Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2537-651X

Keywords:

Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL), Futures Studies, Scenario Planning, Key Drivers, Capital Market, Financial Reporting

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to identify and analyze the key future drivers influencing the implementation and development of Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) within companies operating in the capital market.

Methods and Materials: This research was exploratory and developmental in terms of its purpose and intended outcomes and employed a qualitative futures-studies approach. In the first phase, thematic analysis was conducted to identify the principal functions and drivers associated with the implementation of XBRL. Data were collected through 12 semi-structured interviews with relevant experts and subsequently coded and categorized into basic, organizing, and global themes. The reliability and acceptability of the identified themes were then assessed using the Delphi technique. Following validation of the thematic structure, scenario planning was employed to develop alternative future perspectives concerning the implementation and expansion of XBRL in capital market companies. Two highly influential and uncertain drivers were selected as the principal axes for constructing the scenario matrix.

Findings: The thematic analysis initially identified 3 global themes, 6 organizing themes, and 33 basic themes relating to the implementation and future development of XBRL. The Delphi analysis resulted in the elimination of three basic themes, while the remaining themes achieved expert confirmation and were retained in the final framework. In the scenario-planning phase, two drivers—“information symmetry” (E1) and “information normativity” (E2)—were identified as the most decisive dimensions shaping future conditions. The interaction between these two critical drivers generated a four-quadrant scenario matrix representing four distinct prospective configurations for evaluating the future implementation and development of XBRL in capital market companies.

Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that the future effectiveness of XBRL implementation in capital markets depends substantially on improvements in information symmetry and the institutionalization of information norms, and the four developed scenarios can provide a strategic framework for policymakers, regulators, and market participants when planning future digital financial-reporting systems.

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