HW Fisher sanctioned over GFG Alliance audit lapses Accountancy The watchdog has fined HW Fisher LLP and one of its partners £200,000 for serious professional failures during an audit of Liberty Commodities, a group within metals tycoon Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliance. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said HW Fisher LLP and lead auditor Simon Mott-Cowan showed a pervasive lack of “professional scepticism” during the [...]
KPMG Australia seeks $100m bailout from parent group after scandal Big Four KPMG Australia is reportedly considering asking for $100m (£52.6m) in emergency loans from the Big Four firm’s global network after a scandal rocked the firm’s reputation and business down under. The Australian firm’s newly appointed chief executive, John Sams, has considered asking KPMG International to loan the arm up to $100m or waive its fee [...]
PwC’s UK business grows but Iran conflict hits wider group Big Four Big Four giant PwC reported steady financial growth in its UK business, with revenue and profit per partner both increasing slightly from the previous year, despite group revenue slipping due to the Middle East conflict. For the year ended 30 June 2026, PwC’s UK business’s revenue grew to £4.365bn, up two per cent on the previous year. While [...]
Regulator opens triple probe into Prax Group’s oil audits September 11, 2026 The audit watchdog has launched three separate investigations into the auditing of the collapsed UK energy challenger Prax Group. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) opened probes into the financial oversight and audit of Prax’s parent company, State Oil, and will also examine Big Four KPMG’s audit of the fiscal years ended 28 February 2022 and [...]
UK government slashes corporate red tape, cutting paperwork ‘longer than The Hobbit’ September 7, 2026 Ministers have announced sweeping reforms to corporate reporting, aiming to save businesses over £450m annually by ditching “Hobbit-length” paperwork. Under the overhaul, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including local family firms, will be exempt from certain reporting forms and audits, aiming to save businesses thousands of pounds and hours of administrative work. The Department for [...]
KPMG seeks financial support from parent group in wake of audit scandal August 24, 2026 KPMG Australia has asked its parent company for financial support and laid off hundreds of staff after an audit scandal rocked the Big Four firm’s business down under. In its annual results on Monday, the Australian arm of the accounting group said it will cut its workforce by five per cent and partner pay by [...]
Budget supermarket Iceland’s sneaky jab at Big Four management consultants August 20, 2026 Supermarket chain Iceland has shared a subtle dig at management consultants on its website. There is a tongue and cheek reference to a £16m spend on external consultancy firms which include Big Four giant PwC, during a turbulent era for the business in the early 2000s. The retailer, known for selling frozen food, published a [...]
Incoming FRC chair sits on board of construction group facing criminal probe August 19, 2026 The woman in line to become chair of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) sits on the board of a company currently under criminal investigation, City AM can reveal. Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia was named by the government last month as the next chair of the accounting watchdog and is set to take over in September when [...]
Stop burying us in swollen corporate reports, says audit watchdog boss August 9, 2026 The boss of the audit watchdog has warned that the size of annual reports has swelled out of control, costing directors too much time. Richard Moriarty, chief executive of the Financial Reporting Council, said the costs and expectations surrounding annual reports have steadily ballooned as more companies devote pages to environmental, social and governance issues [...]
Watchdog probes KPMG over Wood Group audit July 30, 2026 The audit watchdog has opened an investigation into Big Four giant KPMG and two accountants over the accounts belonging to engineering and consulting firm John Wood Group. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) revealed on Thursday that it officially launched two separate regulatory investigations concerning the financial reporting and statutory auditing of the former London-listed group. [...]