The Metaversal evolution will not be centralised July 28, 2022 Web3 is Metavolutionary Some have questioned whether Web3 offers much in the way of utility. Web3 is the build-out platform for evolutionary economic and governance models. For a Web3 company to succeed, it not only needs a great product, an established userbase, but also an attack-resistant system of governance. While there will be plenty of [...]
High profile scandals saw UK’s audit watchdog hand out record £46.5m in fines last year July 28, 2022 The UK’s Financial Reporting Council (FRC) issued a record £46.5m in fines over the past year, after the audit watchdog handed out a series of huge fines to Britain’s top accounting firms in the wake of a series of high-profile accounting scandals. The value of fines issued by the UK’s Financial Reporting Council (FRC) [...]
Record £14m fine for KPMG over Carillion and Regenersis audits with partner Peter Meehan banned from ICAEW July 25, 2022 The UK’s accounting watchdog has fined KPMG £14.4m and told it to pay £3.95m in costs for providing false and misleading information during its audits of Carillion and Regenersis. The UK’s Financial Reporting Council (FRC) also fined four of KPMG’s former auditors, banned them from the accounting sector’s professional membership body, and severely reprimanded another [...]
KPMG to rerun vote for head of UAE firm after partners raise governance concerns July 21, 2022 The head of KPMG’s business in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has said the firm will rerun the election for his position, and bring in an external law firm to oversee the process, after partners attempted a coup aimed at ousting him from the firm. The election rerun comes after two senior partners at KPMG [...]
Venture capital ‘rock bottom’ is yet to be fully felt, KPMG exec warns July 21, 2022 The 'rock bottom' of a venture capital downturn is yet to be fully felt this year as deals struck in the first quarter unrealistically buoy investment figures, a KPMG venture chief warned today.
Merciless verdict: Accounting watchdog FRC slams BDO and Mazars for ‘unacceptable’ audits July 20, 2022 Auditors BDO and Mazars have been called out for the “unacceptable” quality of their work by the accounting watchdog. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said there has been “some improvement” across the auditing sector amid heavy scrutiny following failings linked to the major collapses of firms such as Carillion. FRC chief executive Sir John Thompson [...]
Joules: Margins continue to be under pressure as shoppers seek out sale items July 19, 2022 Prestige retailer Joules has said discount-hungry consumers have intensified pressures on margins while expecting yearly profit to surpass expectations. The clothing and lifestyle brand admitted gross margins had “remained under significant pressure” after “consumer appetite” was focused on marked down products. Shoppers have been hunting for reductions amid monster hikes in energy and fuel bills, [...]
Streaming subscriptions continue to dwindle as Brits feel the pinch July 18, 2022 The downward spiral for streaming continues this quarter as more and more Brits cancel their subscriptions.
UK accounting watchdog calls on top auditors to put in place measures to stop cheating on exams July 18, 2022 The UK’s accounting watchdog has called on the country’s major audit firms to put measures in place to prevent employees from cheating on exams. Following a series of high-profile cheating scandals in Canada, Australia and the US, the UK’s Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has told British auditors to set out their plans to prevent similar [...]
Public money, tied to political decisions won’t save us from the climate challenge July 18, 2022 We are now just over 100 days from Cop27 in Sharm el-Sheikh. It only feels like yesterday that many of us in the Square Mile made the journey to Glasgow for Cop26, working hard to ensure that financial and professional services played its part in helping keep climate change goals within reach. Yet with just [...]