Private equity-backed Ryan triumphs in bidding for European tax adviser Svalner Atlas June 1, 2026 Private equity-based US accountancy firm Ryan has reportedly agreed to acquire European tax adviser Svalner Atlas Advisors in a deal reportedly worth $400m. Headquartered in Texas and with a presence in London, Ryan specialises in tax services and has BP and BAT among its clients. The firm was valued at about $7bn earlier this year, [...]
Deloitte and KPMG challenge PwC’s iron grip on FTSE 100 clients June 1, 2026 For the first time in nearly eight years, three of the Big Four giants, Deloitte, KPMG and PwC, are locked in a dead heat for FTSE 100 client dominance. A boardroom reshuffle has loosened PwC’s iron grip on clients from London’s blue-chip index, forcing a historic three-way tie at the top of the FTSE 100 [...]
BCG, Bain and Alvarez & Marsal to ramp up entry level hiring despite AI fears May 31, 2026 Three of the UK’s largest management consultancies are boosting the amount of young people and graduates they recruit this year amid sector-wide concern that AI will disrupt junior hiring. Both Bain & Co and Alvarez & Marsal’s UK bosses said they will be stepping up the amount of junior hires over the next few years [...]
Private equity boom slows down as the deal bar rises for City firms May 29, 2026 Private equity interest in professional services remains, but the era of easy deals is over as most attractive targets have already been acquired, and investors are now more selective, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. The bubble around private equity interest in the professional services industry has started to deflate, as most of the “low-hanging fruit” has already [...]
Elite law firm to splash £370m on building own AI tool May 28, 2026 The world’s largest law firm by revenue, Kirkland & Ellis, is investing £370m ($500m) to develop its own custom-built AI platform, challenging competitors that rely on widely used third-party AI tools. The US-based firm, which has a large office in the City, said it plans to spend hundreds of millions over the next three to [...]
Watchdog slaps BDO with £2m fine over serious audit failings May 28, 2026 Accountancy giant BDO and the former head of its London audit group have been slapped with sanctions by the accounting industry watchdog over its work on the construction engineering firm NMCN. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) imposed sanctions on the firm and its former partner, Geraint Jones, for significant and serious breaches during the 2019 [...]
‘Outdated’ consultancy sector faces a reckoning as AI rips up the old model May 27, 2026 For years, the consultancy sector has relied on a traditional model and profitable formula: retained clients, billing time and upselling clients. Another crucial element has been the blend of ‘senior counsel’ supported by a team of juniors carrying out research and compiling reports. But the rug is being pulled from under this model and a [...]
Octopus acquires legal team to boost bereavement services with AI May 27, 2026 Octopus Legacy, a bereavement service owned by Octopus Group, has acquired a private client team from a large UK-based law firm as part of a push to speed up its services using AI. The company’s legal arm, Octopus Legal Services, has taken on a team of 50 legal professionals from NewLaw Solicitors in “a significant [...]
Top City law firm slammed for ‘misleading’ AI letters sent to court May 26, 2026 A well-known London-headquartered law firm has been criticised by a High Court judge after a lawyer sent the court AI-generated letters containing false legal information. A judgment handed down on 22 May found a junior solicitor at Pinsent Masons used AI to draft two “misleading” emails containing so-called hallucinations sent to the High Court [...]
Ex-KPMG led accounting giant stalls £1bn sale May 25, 2026 One of the UK’s largest accounting firms founded by a former KPMG head has put a £1bn auction on hold despite receiving a wealth of interest from investors. Sumer, a ‘consolidator’ firm that buys majority stakes in smaller independent accounting companies, had hired advisors at boutique advisory Continuum last September to oversee a review on [...]