From auditing to XBRL specialist

arcrole was founded in 2016 by Sebastiaan Bal and Yvonne Kulk. We both began our careers in the audit practice of a Big Four accounting firm. What connected us from the start was not only our background as registered accountants, but also our shared passion for digital reporting.

In 2010, we became involved in XBRL projects. Sebastiaan focused on the development of taxonomies, advised the government and was closely involved in the first steps towards electronic filing in the Netherlands. From 2014 onwards, Yvonne strengthened our expertise with her keen eye for commercial insight and practical applicability.

Sebastiaan Bal MSc LLM RA

Co-Founder

Yvonne Kulk MSc RA

Co-Founder

In 2016, we worked together as consultants on the introduction of mandatory electronic filing for medium-sized legal entities. During that process, we noticed how many organisations struggled with (the software for) preparing their annual reports within the strict framework of the XBRL taxonomy. While the process felt logical and structured to us, we saw that for others it often led to frustration and delays.

We realised there was a need for a partner that could solve these challenges for organisations. That insight became the foundation for arcrole: an accessible and reliable service provider that helps organisations effortlessly convert their annual reports to (i)XBRL.

Why we do what we do

We believe that digital reporting should not be a technical barrier. As registered accountants with deep experience in both financial reporting and XBRL technology, we understand the environment our clients operate in: tight deadlines, compliance requirements, materiality, and the need for reliability.

Our mission is to fully relieve organisations of the burden of converting their annual reports to (i)XBRL. This allows them to focus on their core activities, while we ensure accurate, timely, and compliant filings — with no surprises and at fixed prices.

What we do

At arcrole, we convert annual reports from traditional formats such as Word, Excel, XHTML or PDF into the required (i)XBRL format. You send us your annual report — we take care of the rest.

In addition:
- we develop XBRL taxonomies for governments and regulators;
- we advise organisations on implementating XBRL projects;
- and we provide tools and support to accounting firms for visualising, validating and filing reports.

Our approach is accessible, transparent and always grounded in real-world practice.

Our involvement in the XBRL community

We have been active in the XBRL community for many years. With arcrole we are also affiliated as a participant of XBRL Netherlands — not only to increase our visibility, but also to contribute to the development of the XBRL standard and strengthen the network.

We believe in collaboration, knowledge sharing and and building a stronger community. That’s why we actively participate in initiatives that make XBRL more accessible and future-proof.

Our ambition

We strive for an efficient and reliable digital annual reporting chain in the Netherlands — for preparers, auditors, and recipients alike. In the short term, we aim to support as many organisations as possible in transitioning to mandatory electronic filing, especially now that large legal entities are also subject to this requirement.

Our dream? That iXBRL is no longer seen as a technical hurdle, but as a natural part of modern, transparent reporting.