KPMG refuses to sign off Adler audit following allegations of wrongdoing April 30, 2022 Big Four accountancy firm KPMG has refused to sign off the 2021 financial results of German property group Adler, after an investigation by the auditor last week unveiled widespread issues with the property firm’s corporate governance. In a statement, the Berlin based real estate company, which owns 52,000 flats across Germany, said KPMG had “not [...]
Taxman waives fines for million Brits unwittingly caught in anti-money laundering crackdown April 29, 2022 The UK taxman has said it is waiving fines for those who unwittingly faced penalties for failing to list any trusts they own on anti-money laundering registers. Her Majesty’s Revenues & Customs’ (HMRC’s) decision to waive the penalties comes in the midst of a major anti-money laundering crackdown, which saw the introduction of new rules [...]
Allianz vows to stop insuring Arctic oil and gas projects April 29, 2022 Insurance giant Allianz has said it will stop insuring Arctic oil and gas fields by the middle of next year. The German multinational, which is one of the biggest oil and gas sector insurers in the world, vowed to stop insuring new oil and gas fields, oil powerplants, and oil pipelines in the Arctic by [...]
Amazon posts first quarterly loss since 2015 as higher costs and lower sales hit bottom line April 29, 2022 Shares in Amazon have plummeted after the e-commerce giant posted its first quarterly loss in seven years, as the firm faced a litany of challenges that led to higher costs and lower sales. The Seattle headquartered firm posted its first quarterly loss since 2015, as staff shortages and inflationary pressures increased its costs and the [...]
M&C Saatchi reinstates dividend after swinging back to profitability April 29, 2022 Advertising agency M&C Saatchi today said it had returned to profitability after pretax profits of £21.6m for 2021, compared to an £8.5m loss in 2020. The communications agency spun out of Saatchi & Saatchi in 1995 said it plans to reinstate its dividend 2022, after failing to pay it last year. The firm claimed its [...]
UK fraud office returns £1m to victims of ‘Wolf of Wimbledon’ scammer April 28, 2022 The UK’s serious fraud office (SFO) has returned £1m in stolen funds to more than 200 victims of Australian fraudster Jeffrey Revell-Reade. The SFO said it had handed over another £1m in stolen funds, on top of the £3m already returned, after the fraudster conned investors out of a total £70m. The return comes after [...]
Laurence Fox asks judge to let jury hear his libel lawsuit April 28, 2022 English actor and right-wing political activist Laurence Fox is seeking for his libel lawsuit to be heard by a jury – in what would be the first libel trial to be heard by a jury in a decade. The request comes after Fox was sued by charity boss Simon Blake, Ru Paul’s Drag Race star [...]
Accountancy firm RSM consolidates power after buying out former partners April 28, 2022 The board of accountancy firm RSM has made a push to consolidate its power, by taking control of almost all shares in the firm through a buyout of its former partners. The shareholder buyout comes after RSM shareholders launched a coup against the accountancy firm’s ex-board in 2020, following the discovery an almost £10m hole [...]
McKinsey helped ‘turbocharge’ opioid sales while working for US regulators, House committee says April 28, 2022 Consultancy giant McKinsey played a “pivotal role” in the US opioid crisis by helping Purdue Pharma “turbocharge” sales of opioid painkiller Oxycontin whilst working for US drug regulators, a Congressional report has said. The multi-billion-dollar consulting firm helped Purdue develop strategies to boost sales of its addictive painkiller, by advising the firm to offer its [...]
EY Germany vows to improve working conditions in wake of Wirecard scandal April 28, 2022 EY Germany has vowed to cut staff workloads and improve company working conditions, in response to its role in the multi-billion-euro Wirecard scandal. The German arm of the Big Four accountancy firm said it plans to reduce workplace stress and the overburdening of its workers, by limiting overtime and hiring more people. The pledge comes [...]