EY chief says it’s still too early to say whether split plan can be rescued March 23, 2023 The head of EY’s US business has said it is still too early to say whether the accounting giant’s global split will go ahead in its current form or whether the plan might have to be reworked. Julie Boland told the Financial Times it would be “premature” to predict whether EY’s current plan to split [...]
KPMG stands behind audit of Silicon Valley Bank, accounting firm’s US chief says March 15, 2023 The chief executive of KPMG’s US business has said the Big Four accounting firm stands behind its audit of Silicon Valley Bank, after it gave the California financier a clean bill of health just two weeks before its collapse. KPMG chief Paul Knopp told an event at New York University that “we stand behind the [...]
PwC strikes deal with San Francisco startup to let lawyers and tax experts use AI chatbot March 15, 2023 PwC has struck a deal to start using an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot to speed up work in its tax and legal divisions as the world’s top professional services firms increasingly look towards tech to boost efficiency. The accounting firm’s initial 12-month contract with San Francisco startup Harvey will see all 4,000 staff in PwC’s [...]
EY puts global split on hold following fight over tax business March 9, 2023 EY’s plans to split its audit division from its consulting arm are on the brink of collapse amid a fight over the future of its tax business. The Big Four accounting firm has “paused” its plans for a global split, in the face of fierce disagreements over the extent to which its tax division should [...]
PwC fined £7.5m over repeated failures in audit of Babcock International’s accounts March 8, 2023 Britain’s accounting watchdog has fined PwC and two of its former partners a combined sum of almost £8m over repeated failures in the firm’s audits of UK defence company Babcock International and its Plymouth dockyard subsidiary. The UK’s Financial Reporting Council (FRC) hit PwC with a £7.5m fine – discounted to £5.625m for the firm’s [...]
China tells state-owned companies to cut ties with the Big Four February 22, 2023 China has told its state-owned companies to stop working with the Big Four auditors – EY, KPMG, PwC, and Deloitte – and asked them to use local accounting firms instead. China’s Ministry of Finance (MoF) has called on the country’s state-controlled firms to let their audit contracts with the Big Four expire, Bloomberg reported today. [...]
Darktrace hires EY in bid to win back credibility after short seller questions accounts February 20, 2023 Cybersecurity company Darktrace has hired EY to review its finances in a bid to win back credibility after a short seller questioned its accounts. Darktrace has recruited the Big Four auditor to carry out an independent review after New York investment fund Quintessential Capital Management cast doubt over the “validity” of the tech firm’s financial [...]
Audit reform plans ‘ready to go’ but government delays now holding UK back, accountancy chief warns February 20, 2023 The UK government’s failure to overhaul the country’s audit sector risks seeing Britain lose its position as a world-leading investment hub, the head of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales has warned. ICAEW chief Michael Izza told City A.M. continued delays to the UK’s planned reshaping of the country’s audit sector could see foreign investors [...]
The Square Mile and Me: PwC chair Kevin Ellis on favourite city haunts and the pub he started his career in February 16, 2023 This week PwC’s chair and senior partner Kevin Ellis tells us the stories of his beloved City haunts, including the pub where he started his career and the spots he uses to lift his spirits. What was your first job? My first job was delivering double-glazing leaflets around Chingford in East London where I grew [...]
Mazars UK business posts ‘record’ growth as firm pushes to tackle Big Four’s dominance February 16, 2023 Mazars today said its UK audit business grew 37 per cent over the previous year, as the accounting firm seeks to take on the Big Four and capture a larger share of the market. Mazars’ UK business posted “record” growth, despite rising costs, after its revenues increased by more than a fifth (23 per [...]