(2) Reporting principles
These Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with the international accounting rules based on the IFRS® Accounting Standards (IFRS Accounting Standards) effective at the end of the reporting period and adopted by the European Union and the additional provisions of section 315e (1) of the German Commercial Code (HGB). The fiscal year is the calendar year. These Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in euro, the reporting currency. The values presented in the Consolidated Financial Statements have been rounded. This may lead to individual values not adding up to the totals presented.
The Executive Board of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, prepared these Consolidated Financial Statements on February 17, 2026, and forwarded them to the Supervisory Board for approval. The Supervisory Board is responsible for examining the Consolidated Financial Statements and declaring whether it approves them.
The accounting and measurement policies used in the Consolidated Financial Statements are presented in the respective Notes and are indicated there.
Amendments to standards effective for the first time in fiscal 2025
Standard/Interpretation |
|
Title |
|
Date of publication |
|
Date of endorsement by EU law |
|
Impact on the Consolidated Financial Statements |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Amendments to IAS 21 |
|
Lack of Exchangeability |
|
August 15, 2023 |
|
November 12, 2024 |
|
No material impact |
Amendments to standards effective for the first time from fiscal 2026
Standard/Interpretation |
|
Title |
|
Date of publication |
|
Date of endorsement by EU law |
|
Required date of first-time application1 |
|
Expected impact on the Consolidated Financial Statements |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Amendments to IFRS 7 |
|
Amendments to the Classification and Measurement of Financial Instruments |
|
May 30, 2024 |
|
May 27, 2025 |
|
January 1, 2026 |
|
No material impact |
||||
Amendments to IFRS 7 |
|
Contracts Referencing Nature-dependent Electricity |
|
December 18, 2024 |
|
June 30, 2025 |
|
January 1, 2026 |
|
No material impact |
||||
Amendments to IFRS 9 |
|
Amendments to the Classification and Measurement of Financial Instruments |
|
May 30, 2024 |
|
May 27, 2025 |
|
January 1, 2026 |
|
No material impact |
||||
Amendments to IFRS 9 |
|
Contracts Referencing Nature-dependent Electricity |
|
December 18, 2024 |
|
June 30, 2025 |
|
January 1, 2026 |
|
No material impact |
||||
Amendments to IFRS 1, IFRS 7, IFRS 9, IFRS 10 and IAS 7 |
|
Annual Improvements to IFRS Accounting Standards – Volume 11 |
|
July 18, 2024 |
|
July 9, 2025 |
|
January 1, 2026 |
|
No material impact |
||||
|
||||||||||||||
Standards and amendments to standards published but not yet endorsed by the European Union
Standard/Interpretation |
|
Title |
|
Date of publication |
|
Expected to be effective for the first time for financial years beginning on or after |
|
Expected impact on the Consolidated Financial Statements |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
IFRS 18 |
|
Presentation and Disclosure in Financial Statements |
|
April 9, 2024 |
|
January 1, 2027 |
|
See below |
IFRS 19 |
|
Subsidiaries without Public Accountability: Disclosures |
|
May 9, 2024 |
|
January 1, 2027 |
|
No impact |
Amendments to IFRS 19 |
|
Subsidiaries without Public Accountability: Disclosures |
|
August 21, 2025 |
|
January 1, 2027 |
|
No impact |
Amendments to IAS 21 |
|
Translation to a Hyperinflationary Presentation Currency |
|
November 13, 2025 |
|
January 1, 2027 |
|
No impact |
Expected impact of the first-time application of IFRS 18 on the Consolidated Financial Statements from fiscal 2027 onwards
The Group expects the introduction of IFRS 18 to have a significant impact on the Consolidated Financial Statements. The exact quantitative effects of IFRS 18 are still being analyzed and cannot yet be conclusively assessed as of the balance sheet date.
Consolidated Income Statement
IFRS 18 is introducing a new mandatory structure with five categories: operating, investing, financing, income taxes, and discontinued operations. In addition, two new mandatory subtotals will be introduced: “operating result” and “profit before financing and income tax”. The new requirements lead to a change in the structure of the Consolidated Income Statement due to the introduction of mandatory subtotals and categories. In addition, significant issues that are currently recognized under other operating expenses will be presented under functional costs in the future.
Consolidated Cash Flow Statement
The abolition of disclosure options, particularly with regard to interest payments received and paid, is expected to have a significant impact on the Group’s Consolidated Cash Flow Statement. The Group currently reports these under operating cash flow (see Note (16) Operating cash flow). The starting point for determining the operating cash flow will be the operating result.
Management-defined performance measures (MPMs)
IFRS 18 prescribes mandatory disclosures on performance measures that are publicly communicated by management and are not specified by the IFRS Accounting Standards. Currently, an investigation is underway to determine which MPMs in accordance with IFRS 18 are to be reported in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Accounting and measurement policies
Currency translation
Functional currency
The subsidiaries of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, conduct their business largely in the respective local currency, which they use as their functional currency.
Some subsidiaries, particularly in the Healthcare and Electronics business sectors, use the euro or the U.S. dollar as their functional currency rather than the local currency.
Transactions in non-functional currency
When the financial statements of consolidated companies are prepared, business transactions that are conducted in currencies other than the functional currency are translated using the exchange rate on the date of the transaction.
Translation of financial statements into the reporting currency (euro)
The financial statements of consolidated companies not using the euro as their functional currency are translated into the reporting currency, the euro. Assets and liabilities are measured at the closing rate while income and expenses are translated at average monthly rates. Any currency translation differences arising during consolidation of Group companies are recognized in equity.
Hyperinflation
Argentina (since 2018) and Türkiye (since 2022) are classified as hyperinflationary economies in accordance with the guidelines of IAS 29 “Financial Reporting in Hyperinflationary Economies”. Accordingly, non-monetary assets and liabilities and the corresponding expenses and income in these countries are not reported at historical cost but are presented adjusted for inflation. In Argentina, the Group uses a combination of the wholesale index IPIM (Índice de precios internos al por mayor) and the consumer price index IPC (Índice de precios al consumidor). The index applied stood at 129,613.4 as of the balance sheet date (December 31, 2024: 98,664.2/January 1, 2024: 37,078.3). In Turkey, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) published by the Turkish Statistical Institute is applied. The index applied stood at 3,513.87 as of the balance sheet date (December 31, 2024: 2,684.55/January 1, 2024: 1,859.4). In accordance with the provisions of IAS 21 “The Effects of Changes in Foreign Exchange Rates” for financial statements in non-hyperinflationary reporting currencies, the previous-year amounts have not been restated.
The respective loss from the net position of the monetary items is recognized within other operating expenses and reported separately as a loss from hyperinflation accounting (see Note (14) Other operating expenses).
After adjusting the amounts for inflation, the balance sheet items and income and expenses are translated into the reporting currency, the euro, at the closing rate.
Exchange rates of most significant currencies
The exchange rates of the most significant currencies in these Consolidated Financial Statements were as follows:
|
|
Average rate |
|
Closing rate |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
€ 1 = |
|
2025 |
|
2024 |
|
Dec. 31, 2025 |
|
Dec. 31, 2024 |
Chinese renminbi (CNY) |
|
8.121 |
|
7.798 |
|
8.205 |
|
7.622 |
Japanese yen (JPY) |
|
168.947 |
|
163.746 |
|
183.762 |
|
162.599 |
Swiss franc (CHF) |
|
0.937 |
|
0.952 |
|
0.931 |
|
0.941 |
South Korean won (KRW) |
|
1,605.595 |
|
1,474.959 |
|
1,699.044 |
|
1,533.769 |
Taiwan dollar (TWD) |
|
35.171 |
|
34.740 |
|
36.866 |
|
34.141 |
U.S. dollar (USD) |
|
1.130 |
|
1.082 |
|
1.174 |
|
1.041 |