New audit watchdog chair pledges tougher rules for company executives June 16, 2022 The new chair of the UK’s audit watchdog has vowed to make company directors accountable for corporate accounting scandals, in his first public speech as head of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC). FRC chair Sir Jan du Plessis said the government’s decision to water down plans for a British version of the USA’s “Sarbanes-Oxley [...]
Deloitte denies claims it is set to follow EY by splitting its business in two June 9, 2022 Deloitte has said claims it is considering splitting itself up, and spinning off its consulting business, are “categorically untrue”. The Big Four accountancy firm denied claims it is mulling over a split, after the Wall Street Journal yesterday reported that Deloitte is exploring the options of separating out its global audit and consulting practices. Instead, [...]
UK’s audit sector trade bodies would not object to giving Big Four fines to the government May 19, 2022 Two of the UK’s biggest audit industry trade bodies have said they would welcome any plans to see money raised through fines against auditors given over to the UK government, in order to fund Britain’s regulatory bodies. The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) both [...]
ICAS publishes public finances accountability guide May 13, 2022 | City Talk ICAS has published a new guide to help you understand how the UK and Scottish governments are held to account for their decisions on public finances, where the money comes from, how it is spent and prioritised and the results of audits of public accounts. There is currently no consolidated source available to explain the [...]
UK’s accountancy sector turnovers soar to record highs May 12, 2022 The UK’s accountancy firms generated more cash in March than in any other month on record, new Office of National Statistics (ONS) figures show. Turnover in Britain’s accountancy sector jumped 14 per cent from February to March to record highs of £4.13bn. The multi-billion sum comes as a new high for the UK’s accountancy industry, [...]
Audit giant Mazars ups size of London offices with new City premises next to Old Bailey court May 9, 2022 French auditor Mazars is set to move into new City of London premises after setting out plans to expand the size of its office space by 10 per cent. The accountancy firm is set to move from its current offices in Tower Bridge House to new, larger City of London premises at 30 Old Bailey. [...]
UK watchdog launches probe into tiny accountancy firm King & King over Sanjeev Gupta audits May 4, 2022 The UK’s accounting watchdog has launched an investigation into four audits carried out by little-known accountancy firm King & King, of firms linked to embattled steel magnate Sanjeev Gupta. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said it would be probing King & King’s audits of financial results posted by four of separate companies linked to Sanjeev [...]
EY faces $2.5bn lawsuit over NMC Health audit April 30, 2022 Big Four accountancy firm EY faces a $2.5bn (£2bn) lawsuit over its audit of collapsed healthcare company NMC Health, after bankruptcy administrators yesterday said they had filed a claim against the auditor. The lawsuit comes after Abu Dhabi firm NMC Health went into administration in 2020, after the firm was accused of understating more than [...]
UK government drops audit reform from Queen’s Speech agenda April 30, 2022 The UK government is expected to announce further delays to its shakeup of the audit sector, after dropping a draft bill on audit reform from the Queen’s Speech. A draft bill to introduce a raft of measures aimed at reforming the UK’s audit industry, including by replacing the UK’s audit watchdog with a new more [...]
Accountancy firm RSM consolidates power after buying out former partners April 28, 2022 The board of accountancy firm RSM has made a push to consolidate its power, by taking control of almost all shares in the firm through a buyout of its former partners. The shareholder buyout comes after RSM shareholders launched a coup against the accountancy firm’s ex-board in 2020, following the discovery an almost £10m hole [...]