Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report the results of a study carried out to establish the contribution of audit committee (AC) effectiveness, isomorphic forces and managerial attitude to the adoption of international financial reporting standards (IFRS). Design/methodology/approach This study is cross-sectional and correlational. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey of 67 MFIs that are members of the Association of Microfinance Institutions of Uganda (AMFIU). Findings Both AC effectiveness, isomorphic forces and managerial attitude significantly contribute to the adoption of IFRS. However, the explanatory power of managerial attitude is subsumed in isomorphic forces and AC effectiveness. Results further indicate that AC effectiveness partially mediates the relationship between isomorphic forces and adoption of IFRS. In terms of control variables, ownership and capital structure are not significant predictors of adoption of IFRS. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the contribution of AC effectiveness, isomorphic forces and managerial attitude to the adoption of IFRS in MFIs using evidence from a developing country on the African scene like Uganda. Further, earlier literature has not tested the mediating effect of AC effectiveness in the relationship between isomorphic forces and the adoption of IFRS which has been reported in this paper.