EY boss hits back at calls to break up Big Four September 13, 2018 The global chief executive of EY has hit back at criticism of the Big Four financial services firms, which have been slammed for the lack of competition in the audit market following high-profile corporate collapses. The company, which today announced boosted global revenue of $34.8bn in the financial year to the end of June, came under [...]
Slaughter and May hires former Serious Fraud Office head David Green as senior consultant September 11, 2018 The former head of the Serious Fraud Office, David Green, has confirmed his move to magic circle firm Slaughter and May after months of speculation. Green left the government agency in April this year after six years at the helm and was replaced by former FBI lawyer Lisa Osofsky. Slaughter and May said Green [...]
Litigation funder Vannin Capital lines up £1bn London float September 10, 2018 Litigation funder Vannin Capital said today it is planning to list in London next month in a float that market sources say could hit a £1bn valuation. The listing will comprise an approximately £70m issue of new shares by the company and the sale of shares by existing shareholders to facilitate a free float of [...]
The clock’s ticking for Smiths Group to shape its destiny, Big Four accountancy firms’ flaws and Paul Pester’s parting mistake September 7, 2018 The clock is ticking for Andy Reynolds Smith, chief executive of the industrial conglomerate Smiths Group. Talks about a combination of Smiths Medical, which manufactures devices ranging from tracheostomy tubes to chest drainage catheters, with US-listed ICU Medical have been ongoing for the best part of four months. When Reynolds Smith presents the company’s annual [...]
DB battle with billionaire Alexander Vik over $320m bill heats up September 6, 2018 Norwegian billionaire Alexander Vik has been ordered to answer accusations from Deutsche Bank in court that he lied about trying to evade a $320m debt or face prison for contempt of court. Vik, who comes from a family of fur merchants, has been locked in a bitter dispute with Deutsche Bank since he lost an $8bn case against [...]
City watchdog chair Charles Randell says Big Four needs to improve audit quality ‘as a matter of urgency’ September 6, 2018 City watchdog chairman Charles Randell launched a withering attack on the Big Four accountancy firms today, calling for the profession to address audit quality "as a matter of urgency". In a speech marking 10 years since the start of the financial crisis, Randell said it was “very disappointing” to see that the Financial Reporting Council’s audit [...]
Miner ENRC victorious over Serious Fraud Office in ‘historic’ Court of Appeal battle on legal privilege September 5, 2018 Lawyers hailed ENRC’s Court of Appeal win over the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) in a legal privilege case today as “fundamental to our legal system”. In today’s judgment the Court of Appeal overturned a High Court decision from May that compelled miner ENRC to hand over the results of an internal investigation into corruption, carried out by [...]
Brexit takes a toll on UK business confidence, despite services sector uplift September 5, 2018 The UK services sector experienced stronger rises in business activity and incoming new work in August, but faced falling business optimism due to uncertainty about the UK's political future. The IHS Markit purchasing managers' index (PMI) for the services sector reached 54.3 in August, up from 53.5 in July and at its second-highest level since [...]
Swiss law firm launches London office in bet on post-Brexit disputes spike September 4, 2018 Swiss dispute resolution law firm Lalive said today it is launching its first office in the City as it makes a bet on London becoming a more attractive arbitration centre post-Brexit. Marc Veit, a partner who is moving from the firm’s Zurich office to its new London base, said the City could be poised for [...]
Half a million UK SMEs fall victim to impersonation fraud September 4, 2018 Up to half a million small and mid-sized businesses (SMEs) are thought to have been preyed on by fraudsters posing as company bosses, data by Lloyds Bank has found. Impersonation fraud is when a fraudster is able to gather information on suppliers and business contacts to pose as a company chief to extract money. According to [...]