The Big Four’s legal ventures should worry mid-tier law firms August 26, 2022 THE BIG Four’s first forays into the legal sector in the 1990s ended in abject failure. Yet over the past decade, the world’s four biggest accounting firms have captured a significant share of the UK’s market for legal services, and have increasingly begun to compete with traditional firms. Deloitte, EY, KPMG, and PwC have used [...]
UK government appoints four new directors to FRC in shakeup of audit regulator February 8, 2022 The UK government has put four new directors on the board of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), amid a shakeup of the UK’s audit regulator. The appointments come after former Rio Tinto chairman Sir Jan du Plessis – the government’s pick to head the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) – said the watchdog is in a [...]
Top accountancy firms more likely to hire white applicants November 12, 2021 White applicants are more likely to be successful when applying for jobs in the top UK accountancy firms, over those from ethnic minority or lower socio-economic backgrounds, according to a new report. The report, published today, by charity Access Accountancy looked at the socio-economic backgrounds of people who applied for jobs at ten accounting companies, [...]
Sluggish growth is the price we will pay for halving inflation November 6, 2023 Karl Otto Pöhl, the former President of the Bundesbank put it best: “Inflation is like toothpaste. Once it’s out you can hardly get it back in again.”
Schroders assets under management reaches a ‘new high’ of over £730bn March 3, 2022 Schroders assets under management (AUM) have reached new heights, swelling by 10 per cent last year to £731.6bn. The asset manager enjoyed a profit before tax jump of 25 per cent, reaching £764.1m, the first announced in its full year results today. The “strong” financial performance prompted the board to recommend a dividend of 122.0p [...]
We can’t tax our way to net zero, but we can nudge Brits towards it October 17, 2023 Brits have pushed back against mass spending on net zero, but that doesn't mean minister should throw their arms up and give up on nudging them towards a green transition, writes Laura Hinton
DWP final salary pension reform could be a ‘straitjacket’, pensions chief warns August 12, 2022 Government plans to ramp up scrutiny of 'final salary' pension scheme funding could be a “straitjacket” for the industry and scupper hopes that retirees’ cash could be diverted into areas like tech and infrastructure, a pension expert has warned.
Ashurst seeks to capitalise on consulting boom with launch of UK advice business October 3, 2022 City law firm Ashurst is set to expand its services offering by launching a UK consulting business. The Silver Circle firm plans to build on the successes it has had in Australia by launching a London based risk advisory business. Ashurst’s new consulting business will be led by a trio made up of current Ashurst [...]
UK caps household energy bills at £2,500 as Truss promises business help September 8, 2022 British households will have their annual energy bills capped at £2,500 for two years in a £130bn+ scheme that will save consumers thousands of pounds. Prime Minister Liz Truss said the two-year Energy Price Guarantee will begin at the start of October and that the government will pay energy suppliers the difference between the cap [...]
KPMG faces £15m fine over Quindell audit November 10, 2021 Accounting giant KPMG could be confronted with a £15m legal claim from insurance outsourcer Quindell, according to reports. Quindell, now known as Watchstone, is preparing to file claims against the Big Four firm, alleging that it suffered losses of up to £15m from KPMG’s audit in 2013, according to Financial News, which first reported the [...]