The U.K. audit regulator has announced a major “evolution” of its audit supervisory model, promising to introduce a more proportionate, effective, and integrated framework.
Accounting & Auditing
What to know about double materiality assessments for ESG initiatives
Double materiality assessments help organizations identify and prioritise ESG topics that matter most, both in terms of their impact on society and the environment, and their financial implications for the business.
EY compliance partner leaves after independence failings prompt regulatory investigation
Four senior partners at Big Four accountancy firm Ernst & Young, including a leader in the firm’s compliance function, have left the company because of spiralling repercussions from a costly compliance failure.
Five questions business leaders should be asking in 2026 to manage transformation risk
Working with clients in various sectors over the past year, one thing is clear: Transformation is bigger, faster, and more interconnected. Tech, talent, regulation, and operations—it’s hitting at once.
French investigators target anticompetitive practices in largest accounting firms
Major accountancy firms in France are under investigation for anti-competitive practices. The French competition watchdog embarked on a series of “unannounced inspections” and removed documents relating to audit and reporting on Jan. 13.
SOX was built for humans. AI doesn’t fit that model.
For more than two decades, assurance and compliance frameworks have rested on a simple assumption: Material decisions are made by people. Post‑Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) assurance reset worked because it aligned accountability with human behavior. That assumption shapes how internal controls are designed, how accountability is assigned, and how assurance is delivered.
Hot Topics in Risk and Compliance: AI, Analytics, and Emerging Audit Technologies
Join experts from KPMG, Cisco, and Workiva as they explore how audit, accounting, and finance professionals can leverage a technology mix of data analytics, gen AI, and other tools to ramp up efficiency and strengthen control effectiveness.
FRC’s plans for more flexible enforcement gains support
Plans to give the U.K.’s audit regulator more options to regulate firms for sloppy work have been largely well received by experts, who believe the current system is “inflexible,” “cumbersome,” and “slow.”
The new weak point in corporate accountability
ESG reporting has moved from a voluntary PR exercise to an expectation for regulators and investors, but the compliance audit gap now threatens credibility.
U.K. financial regulator looks to streamline audit enforcement procedures
Auditors are supposed to keep businesses honest, but how much regulation is the optimum for the auditors – and how onerous and punitive should the enforcement regime be? A new consultation by the U.K. regulator, the Financial Reporting Council, opened on Oct. 1 and has put the vexed question of audit regulation back in the spotlight.
