Lack of social mobility in UK’s professional services sector threatens country’s growth August 11, 2022 The lack of social mobility in the UK’s financial and professional services sector poses a major threat to Britain’s “competitiveness and productivity,” the head of the Law Society has warned. The Law Society president’s warning comes after a new report from Canada Socio-Economic Diversity Taskforce showed those from working class backgrounds are [...]
PwC fined over BT audit failings following discovery of £512m fraud August 8, 2022 The UK’s accounting watchdog today fined PwC £2.5m over claims it failed to properly scrutinize BT accounts following the discovery of a half-a-billion-pound fraud within the telecommunications firm. The UK’s Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said PwC and former partner Richard Hughes failed to treat BT’s management with sufficient professional scepticism following the discovery of a [...]
Big Four auditors up advisory fee incomes as challengers capture larger share of audit work August 5, 2022 The UK’s challenger auditing firms are increasingly capturing a larger share of Britain’s audit market, as the Big Four increasingly generate their revenues through non audit work, new data from the UK’s accounting watchdog shows. The research shows smaller auditors upped their audit fee incomes at almost twice the rate of the Big Four, as [...]
PwC global digital assets chief leaves to launch ‘crypto asset manager’ August 4, 2022 The head of PwC’s crypto business has left his position at the Big Four accountancy firm to launch his own “crypto asset management firm” with a view to drawing institutional investors into cryptocurrencies. The new fund, Nine Blocks Capital Management, is set to use a $75m initial investment from Hong Kong fund Nine Masts, to [...]
Auditors should stop ‘complaining’ about fines and improve the quality of their work, FRC chief says August 3, 2022 The head of the UK’s accounting watchdog has said Britain’s major auditors should stop “complaining” about fines and start improving the quality of their work instead. In an interview with the Financial Times, Financial Reporting Council (FRC) chief executive Sir Jon Thompson said “the solution” to auditors’ problems with fines is “entirely” in their own [...]
EY’s split could have ‘distinct benefits,’ FRC chief says August 2, 2022 EY’s plans to split its business would have “distinct benefits,” the head of the UK’s accounting watchdog has said. The Big Four accounting firm’s plans to separate its advisory arm from its consulting division could let EY “grow further” by removing “significant conflicts of interest,” Financial Reporting Council (FRC) chief executive Sir Jon Thompson told [...]
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) [...]
Chief Financial Officers should step up and take a more active role in leading their businesses, new report says July 26, 2022 Company Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) should take a more active role in guiding the businesses they run through times of uncertainty, according a new report Big Four accounting firm Deloitte and cloud computing company Anaplan. The report warns that CFOs perception of themselves and their own roles fails to match the perceptions of others, as [...]
PwC ups pay for newly-qualified lawyers to £90,000 a year July 21, 2022 Big Four accounting firm PwC has upped pay for newly qualified (NQ) lawyers working in its fast-expanding UK legal business to heights of £90,000 a year. The salary hikes will see PwC match the salaries offered by top ranking law firms including London law firm Mischon de Reya, and put it ahead of major firms [...]
Global split could let EY bring in extra $10bn in Silicon Valley advisory fees, firm chief says July 20, 2022 A global split could let EY bring in an extra $10bn in advisory fees from the world’s major tech companies, by freeing it from rules that block the Big Four firm from both auditing and selling advice to Silicon Valley’s largest firms, EY’s global chief executive has said. EY’s plans to separate out its audit [...]