Kristin Bauer, partner at Deloitte, sat down for a video interview at Nareit’s REITwise: 2026 Educational Conference in Hollywood, Florida, March 24–26.
Bauer noted that the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) is entering a phase of refinement rather than sweeping change. With GAAP now a “much more mature set of standards,” she expects “tweaks on the edges” rather than major overhauls like past initiatives in revenue recognition or lease accounting. Instead, the focus will be on targeted improvements to areas that have drawn consistent feedback from stakeholders.
Artificial intelligence is also reshaping the accounting landscape, introducing complex questions around capital investments, lease structures, and financial classification. “The pace and the size of these transactions are huge,” Bauer said, emphasizing that “it matters quite a bit that we get the accounting right.” At the same time, she sees AI enhancing how standard-setters process feedback, potentially accelerating the review of comment letters and stakeholder input.
Bauer underscored the importance of industry engagement in shaping future standards. “The industry has a very important role to play here…to work together, understand, and find common areas of challenge and potential solutions,” she said, encouraging companies to bring real-world use cases and practical solutions to regulators.