Audit must reclaim its Victorian roots to win back public trust January 15, 2019 Today marks the first anniversary of the collapse of Carillion. It is also the first day that the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy select committee takes evidence in its inquiry into the audit market. Carillion’s downfall brought the role of audit in business and society into the spotlight, and was a watershed moment for the [...]
UK banks ‘robust’ enough to cope with no-deal Brexit, S&P Global says January 10, 2019 The UK’s major banks are robust enough to cope with a no-deal Brexit but the sector’s outlook for 2019 will hinge on Britain’s exit from the EU, S&P Global Ratings has said. The financial services firm issued a “broadly stable” rating on the UK banking system but said that view was based on an orderly [...]
Domino’s Pizza denies shareholder complaints over board shake up plans January 6, 2019 Domino’s Pizza has denied rumours of shareholder unrest over changes to the company's board positions. The pizza giant has not been contacted by shareholders demanding changes to its board, City A.M. understands, despite reports a group had told chairman Stephen Hemsley to hire a new heavyweight senior independent director. A group of top 20 shareholders were [...]
Give accountants the tools they need to fight money laundering December 13, 2018 THE GOVERNMENT estimates that around $90bn of dirty money comes through the UK each year. Inevitably, this money eventually comes into contact with finance professionals, which has prompted charges of widespread ethical failures. Clearly, there are people with financial skills who are knowingly laundering money. But the truth is more nuanced than the frequent accusations [...]
PwC loses FTSE 100 client crown in audit pass-the-parcel December 3, 2018 PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the UK’s biggest accountancy firm, has had its crown – holding the highest number of FTSE 100 clients – snatched by rival KPMG. It is the first time PwC has lost its position as the leading auditor of the UK’s top blue-chip firms. KPMG now audits 28 FTSE 100 firms, to PwC’s 27, [...]
Major UK banks pass ‘worst case scenario’ no-deal Brexit stress tests November 28, 2018 All of the UK’s major banks passed a beefed-up stress test as the Bank of England heralded the resilience of the UK financial system, it was revealed today. The seven banks – Nationwide, Santander UK, HSBC, Standard Chartered, Lloyds, Barclays, and RBS – had three and half times the capital ratio than before the global [...]
Context and infrastructure essential for crypto’s coming of age November 28, 2018 Just like psychologists know that human behaviours are a blend of nature and nurture, institutional participants need to see the right infrastructure and context to participate in crypto at scale. The context is improving rapidly. Clear and stable regulation is the bedrock for institutional engagement. Rightly so as we all want to understand the rules [...]
Mortgage approvals up for first-time buyers as market moves away from large deposits November 15, 2018 The market share of first-time buyers and small deposit borrowers increased in October as young buyers take advantage of low rates and slowing house price growth. A total of 67,011 mortgages were approved last month, an increase of 2.7 per cent since September and 3.5 per cent above levels in the same month last year. [...]
Here are the six (yes, six) reviews the audit sector is currently facing November 14, 2018 As 2018 continues to be the annus horribilis of audit, bean counters are finding that sector reviews are, as the saying goes, like buses. With news this week that MPs are going to launch their own super-inquiry, the sector now faces six reviews. If that seems like more than you’ve got to grips with, here’s a [...]
British business leaders demand ‘people’s vote’ on Brexit deal November 4, 2018 Over 70 City grandees including the former chairmen of Lloyd’s of London and Standard Chartered have joined calls for a “people’s vote” on the final Brexit deal between the UK and the European Union. Ahead of the launch of ‘Business for a People’s Vote’, a new campaign group, the group warned in a letter published [...]