The £1bn company with no staff? Why AI is a gift to Britain’s small businesses Opinion With branding built on Canva, market research synthesised in seconds or client decks as slick as McKinsey’s, could we say now that for the first time, a five-person firm can present like a 50-person one, and potentially undercut and outmanoeuvre larger rivals? Asks Eliza Filby In Silicon Valley, investors are salivating at the thought of [...]
Big Four consulting giants pivot to ‘high-growth verticals’ amid AI disruption Big Four Following news of Deloitte’s latest expansion, experts predict a wave of restructuring and a “high-growth vertical” focus across the Big Four giants. On Monday, Deloitte revealed its plans to launch a Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) firm, aiming to build a regional powerhouse that keeps pace with rapid technological change. The new firm will [...]
Big Four giant Deloitte forms $20bn EMEA unit amid tech disruption Prof Services Deloitte, one of the Big Four, plans to launch a Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) firm, aiming to build a regional powerhouse that keeps pace with rapid technological change. After a successful partner vote, Deloitte announced on Monday that the new EMEA firm will launch in June 2026. Deloitte EMEA will bring together 16 [...]
KPMG partner fined for using AI to cheat on internal training February 16, 2026 A partner at the Big Four firm KPMG has been fined $10,000 (£7,200) for using AI to cheat in an internal training course meant to test knowledge of the technology. KPMG Australia has forced an unnamed audit partner to redo a test after they uploaded training materials to an AI platform to help answer AI-related [...]
EY avoids judgment in £2bn case as Alvarez & Marsal reach ‘confidential agreement’ February 2, 2026 The mammoth legal fight against the Big Four giant EY over its auditing of a former London-listed health giant that collapsed amid fraud allegations has been withdrawn following a settlement. Private hospital operator NMC Health Plc collapsed in April 2020 after being placed into administration, and was delisted from the London Stock Exchange in the [...]
KPMG posts strong revenue growth in first UK-Swiss results January 28, 2026 Big Four giant KPMG has reported revenue of £3.6bn for its year ended 30 September 2025, in its first year of results since the combination of its UK and Swiss businesses. These are the firm’s first results following the merger of the UK and Swiss businesses on 1 October 2024, which showed revenue rose to [...]
Bill Thomas’ successor: KPMG top job up for grabs amidst sector transformation January 27, 2026 The Big Four giant KPMG’s election for the next global chair and CEO is currently underway, as big names across the firm vie to succeed Bill Thomas. Thomas has held the leadership position since October 2017, but his term is expected to conclude on 30 September. KPMG International is now launching a process to elect [...]
EY extends global HQ stay on Thames January 6, 2026 Big Four giant EY has renewed the lease on its global headquarters until 2040. The firm’s UK and global HQ is at 1 More London Place, whose lease was set to expire in 2028 before the firm greenlit a contract renewal. The ten-storey building on the south bank of the River Thames, with 35,000 sq [...]
Accountancy body reverts to in-person exams over AI cheating fears December 29, 2025 The UK’s accounting body, which has almost 260,000 members, is planning to halt remote exams amid a surge of students cheating with AI. The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) has said that from March it will no longer allow students to take online exams, except in exceptional circumstances. Remote testing, like in many universities [...]
Watchdog launches new probe into EY over ‘unauthorised’ audit reports December 10, 2025 The accountancy watchdog has commenced a new investigation into the Big Four firm EY and two of its members. In an announcement on Wednesday morning, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) revealed that it has commenced an investigation into “unauthorised issuance of auditor’s reports to audited entities”. This comes after the Big Four firm informed the [...]