2. Significant Accounting Policies

Principles of Consolidation

The Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of Vista Gold Corp. and more-than-50%-owned subsidiaries that it controls and entities over which control is achieved through means other than voting rights. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated. The Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”).

Use of Estimates

The preparation of the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements requires the Company to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, income and expenses during the reporting period. The more significant areas requiring the use of management estimates and assumptions are: the fair value and accounting treatment of financial instruments including marketable securities; useful lives of assets for asset depreciation purposes; valuation allowances for deferred tax assets; the fair value and accounting treatment of stock-based compensation; the provision for environmental liabilities; and asset impairments (including impairments long-lived assets and investments). The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Accordingly, actual results will likely differ from the amounts estimated in these financial statements.

Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include cash on hand and government securities with maturities of three months or less when purchased. Because of the short maturity of these investments, the carrying amounts approximate their fair value.

Foreign Currency Transactions

Our functional currency is the U.S. dollar. Gains and losses resulting from foreign currency transactions denominated in currency other than the functional currency are recorded at the approximate rate of exchange at the transaction date in other expense. For each of the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, we recorded insignificant net foreign currency gains/(losses).

Short-term Investment

Short-term investments consist of securities with original maturity dates greater than ninety days and less than one year. These securities are typically United States and Australian government treasury bills and/or notes. Australian dollar denominated treasury bills may result in currency risk associated with fluctuation in exchanges rates. Short-term investments are recorded at amortized cost and are classified as debt securities held-to-maturity as the Company has the intention and ability to hold these instruments until their original maturity date at the time of purchase.

Mineral Properties

Mineral property acquisition costs, including directly related costs, are capitalized when incurred, and mineral property exploration costs are expensed as incurred. When we determine that a mineral property can be economically developed in accordance with U.S. GAAP and SEC Industry Guide 7 reserves are established, the costs then incurred to develop such property will be capitalized. Capitalized costs will be depleted using the units-of-production method over the estimated life of the proven and probable reserves. If mineral properties are subsequently abandoned or impaired, any undepleted costs will be charged to loss in that period.

The recoverability of the carrying values of our mineral properties is dependent upon economic reserves being discovered or developed on the properties, permitting, financing, start-up, and commercial production from, or the sale/lease of, or other strategic transactions related to these properties. Development and/or start-up of any of these projects will depend on, among other things, management’s ability to raise additional capital for these purposes.

We assess the carrying cost of our mineral properties for impairment whenever information or circumstances indicate the potential for impairment. This would include events and circumstances such as our inability to obtain all the necessary permits, changes in the legal status of our mineral properties, government actions, the results of exploration activities and technical evaluations and changes in economic conditions, including the price of gold and other commodities or input prices. Such evaluations compare estimated future net cash flows with our carrying costs and future obligations on an undiscounted basis. If it is determined that the estimated future undiscounted cash flows are less than the carrying value of the property, a write-down to the estimated fair value will then be reported in our Consolidated Statement of Income/(Loss) and Comprehensive Income/(Loss) for the period. Where estimates of future net cash flows are not determinable and where other conditions indicate the potential for impairment, management uses available market information and/or third party valuation experts to assess if the carrying value can be recovered and to estimate fair value.

Impairment

Carrying values of long-lived assets, other than mineral properties, are evaluated for impairment at such time that information becomes available indicating that the carrying value may not be recoverable. If it is determined that the fair value is less than the carrying value an impairment charge equal to the difference between the fair value and the carrying value will be recorded in our Consolidated Statements of Income/(Loss) and Comprehensive Income/(Loss).

Stock-Based Compensation

Under our stock option and long-term equity incentive plans, stock incentive options and restricted stock units may be granted to executives, employees, consultants and non-employee directors. Compensation expense for such grants is recorded in the Consolidated Statements of Income/(Loss) and Comprehensive Income/(Loss) as a component of Exploration, property evaluation and holding costs and Corporate administration, with a corresponding increase to Common shares in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The fair values of the options are calculated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model and forfeiture rates are based on historic trends and future projections, as appropriate. The fair value of restricted stock units is based on the closing price of our common shares on the grant date and forfeiture rates are based on historic trends and future projections, as appropriate. The expense is based on the fair values of the grant on the grant date and is recognized over the vesting period specified for each grant.

Financial Instruments

Accounting Standards Codification Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (“ASC 820”) of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. ASC 820 establishes a fair value hierarchy based on the level of independent, objective evidence surrounding the inputs used to measure fair value. A financial instrument’s categorization within the fair value hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. ASC 820 prioritizes the inputs into three levels that may be used to measure fair value:

Level 1 – Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities.

Level 2 – Observable inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, including quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data by correlation or other means.

Level 3 – Prices or valuation techniques requiring inputs that are both significant to the fair value measurement and unobservable.

Our financial instruments include cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities, short-term investments, accounts payable and certain other current assets and liabilities. Due to the short-term nature of our cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments, accounts payable and certain other current assets and liabilities, we believe that their carrying amounts approximate fair value. Our marketable securities are classified as available-for-sale. Accordingly, these securities are carried at fair value, which is based upon quoted market prices in an active market and included in Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. Our other investments, comprised of Midas Gold Shares, is accounted for using the fair value option based on quoted market prices in an active market and is included in Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy.

Research and Development (“R&D”) Grants

The Company has received Research and Development Tax Incentive payments from the Australian Government. Accounting practice generally refers to International Accounting Standard 20 “Accounting for Government Grants and Disclosure of Government Assistance” (“IAS 20”) to determine the most appropriate accounting for payments of this type. The Company’s activities in Australia do not generate revenue subject to Australian income tax. Consequently, under IAS 20, the R&D Tax Incentive payment is considered a government grant, as opposed to an income tax refund. Grants are recognized when there is reasonable assurance that the grant will be received and that conditions attached to the grant have been met.

Recent accounting pronouncements

Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting (Accounting Standard Update 2016-09)

In March 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued guidance related to accounting for stock-based compensation which is intended to improve the accounting for employee share-based payments and which affects all organizations that issue share-based payment awards to their employees. Several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment award transactions are simplified, including: (a) income tax consequences; (b) classification of awards as either equity or liabilities; and (c) classification on the statement of cash flows. For public companies, the amendments are effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those annual periods. Early adoption is permitted for any organization in any interim or annual period. For the year ended December 31, 2016, we adopted this guidance which did not have a material impact on our financial statements.