Big Four could force judicial review into competition watchdog audit reforms April 28, 2019 Several of the Big Four accountancy firms could attempt to force a judicial review of the competition regulator’s proposals to shake up the sector. Earlier this month the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) called for the introduction of joint audits, meaning companies would have to appoint one of PwC, EY, Deloitte or KPMG, alongside a so-called [...]
Steinhoff to sell off assets in bid to cut debt pile August 13, 2019 Embattled global retailer Steinhoff said today that it will sell off assets in the wake of a $7bn (£5.8bn) accountancy scandal. In a bid to slash its debt pile, the troubled South African giant revealed plans to slim down into a retail-focused investment holding company. Read more: Restaurants eat into retailers’ high street share Chief [...]
City Moves for 6 September – Who’s switching jobs at Stonehage Fleming, the Financial Conduct Authority and Cipfa? September 6, 2019 Today’s City Moves includes Stonehage Fleming, the Financial Conduct Authority and Cipfa. Stonehage Fleming Chris Merry has been appointed group chief executive of independently owned international wealth management company Stonehage Fleming. Formerly chief executive of Ipes, a European provider of fund administration and outsourcing services, Chris will be based in Stonehage Fleming’s London office. Chris [...]
Rising Risk (Part I): Accounting shenanigans and alternative investments October 2, 2019 In this first instalment of a two-part piece, Sebastien Canderle says PE fund managers are getting creative with their accounting – and EBITDA seems particularly malleable. Seasoned auditors know that the risk of fraud increases when a client experiences brisk organic growth or M&A activity. During the 1990s, the most spirited dealmakers included telecoms operators [...]
UK economy: Five charts that show we face a long road to recovery June 13, 2020 The coronavirus pandemic has plunged the UK economy into an unprecedented crisis, with GDP shrinking by a record 20.4 per cent April as lockdown measures hammered businesses. The Bank of England has warned that Britain could be heading for its deepest recession in three centuries this year. It is widely believed that April will mark [...]
Bank of England avoids interest rate cut as Mark Carney bows out January 30, 2020 The Bank of England has held off from an interest rate cut despite a surge in expectations that it would reduce rates for the first time in four years. Today’s decision came even as the Bank slashed its long-term growth forecasts for the UK economy to account for Brexit disruption and Britain’s productivity crisis. Read [...]
Artificial intelligence could create 7.2m in boost to health sector jobs by 2030 according to Big Four firm PwC report | City A.M. July 17, 2018 While many of us fear a dystopian future in which employees will replace us with robots, a new report suggests that artificial intelligence (AI) could in fact create as many jobs as it displaces. Findings from Big Four accountancy firm PwC show that around 7.2m jobs could be created over the next 20 years, a [...]
Why your CEO got fired: Ethical lapses cost bosses their jobs in 2018 May 15, 2019 The turnover rate of CEOs soared to 17.5 per cent last year as ethical lapses became the biggest factor behind sacking bosses. Read more: Revealed: The CEOs who oversaw tech's 10 biggest share price rises While the 20 per cent rate of “forced turnovers” among departures at the top remained the same in PwC’s 2018 [...]
CMA head Lord Tyrie warns Big Four that appetite for audit reform is ‘very strong’ June 5, 2019 The chair of the Competition and Markets Authority Lord Tyrie today warned the Big Four that the appetite for reform of the audit market is “very strong” in government and parliament. “I think the market needs to realise, if they don’t already, that the appetite for whatever is required to address this is very strong, [...]
EY, KPMG, PwC, Deloitte: After Carillion, breaking up the Big Four accountancy firms is not the answer May 21, 2018 Breaking up, as Neil Sedaka has said on more than one occasion, is hard to do. Saying you want to break up, though? Well, that’s a heck of a lot easier. When delivering their findings into Carillion’s demise last week, MPs realised that bayoneting the dead firm’s carcass was hardly a valuable exercise. Instead, they [...]