Deutshe Bank mulls ditching EY as auditor following Wirecard scandal May 28, 2021 Deutshe Bank is inviting firms to compete for its 2020 audit just two years after hiring EY to replace KPMG, in a move that could see EY ditched in favour of another company. The chair of Germany’s biggest lender Paul Achleitner told shareholders that the company wants “to keep all its options open” when it [...]
Silence around mental health and suicide is no longer an option May 28, 2021 Matthew Halstead CA, Co-Creator and Trustee at sidekick, discusses his ongoing relationship with his mental wellbeing, having the strength to take a step back and doing what makes you happy Can you share some of the struggles you’ve had with your mental health? At around 14 I became aware that when things were either going wrong [...]
Challengers turn their backs on ‘shared audits’ of the largest companies May 27, 2021 So-called ‘challenger’ audit firms BDO and Grant Thornton are reportedly considering not pitching for shared audits of FTSE 100 companies, in a move that could jeopardise the government’s plans to water down Big Four dominance. The two challengers are instead considering focusing on increasing the number of FTSE 250 companies they audit on a solo [...]
Exclusive: Three-quarters of London firms set for office return by September May 26, 2021 Almost three-quarters of London businesses are planning a return to the office by September, a new survey by Addison Lee has revealed. Of the 142 firms asked by the taxi firm, 74 per cent said that they would be making a return to their workplace over the coming months. And more than half of these [...]
As accounting firms prep for busy period, non-Big Four players spot new opportunities May 26, 2021 The majority of 2020 was a slow year for the UK’s deals market, with mergers and acquisitions depressed by the Coronavirus pandemic and its subsequent lockdown restrictions. This trend, however, now seems to be in reverse with a number a big deal in the private sector, including Virgin Media and O2’s £31bn mega merger, and [...]
Businesses face a fresh tipping point of staff shortages and wage hikes May 26, 2021 For years, inflation has not been an issue. Since the late 1990s, annual inflation in the UK has averaged 2 per cent, with a peak of just over 4 per cent. In the US, there was a similar story, with even less variability. This is in stark contrast to the 1970s and 1980s, when the [...]
Exclusive: IPO frenzy gives investors confidence to back emerging markets, says venture capital boss May 25, 2021 2020 saw many businesses and the flow of consumer cash into the economy put on hold. In early 2021, after months of volatility, Covid-19 vaccines started to offer hope, with business sentiment slowly recovering, and growing ever more optimistic as forecasts remain strong, and new variants seem to be covered by the inoculations. IPOs and mergers and acquisitions continue [...]
Oil prices bounce back despite ongoing Iran talks May 24, 2021 Oil prices rose sharply today as economists predicted that the surge in demand due to the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions would offset any supply bump should sanctions against Iran’s oil be waived. In recent days prices have been trending downwards on the news that talks between Iran and the US on reinstating the former nuclear [...]
EY staff to work two days a week from home post pandemic May 24, 2021 EY has today confirmed that the majority of its staff will work from home for two days a week for good, the latest big business to eschew a return to the traditional office life. The Big Four firm’s 17,500 staff will spend three days a week in the office or at client sites, with the [...]
Retail sales soared in April as Brits came out of third Covid-19 lockdown May 21, 2021 Retail sales soared in April as Brits came out of third Covid-19 lockdown