Variable interest entity (VIE) is a term used by the United States Financial Accounting Standards Board in FIN 46 to refer to an entity (the investee) in which the investor holds a controlling interest that is not based on the majority of voting rights. It is closely related to the concept of a special purpose entity. The importance of identifying a VIE is that a company needs to consolidate such entities if it is the primary beneficiary of the VIE.
Note: The guidance in FIN 46 and FIN 46R was subsequently revised when FASB issued Statement 167.
Read more about Variable Interest Entity: Criteria
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—Denis Diderot (1713–1784)