EY News

UK Watchdog Urges Big 4 Accounting Firms to Challenge Clients as Audit Quality Slides

The dominant accounting firms must do a better job of challenging their clients in order to reach a satisfactory level of audit quality, the industry’s UK watchdog said. The so-called Big Four — KPMG, Deloitte, Ernst & Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers …

UK Accounting Watchdog Asks Big Four to Ring-Fence Audit Practices

The UK dominant accounting firms must separate their audit units from other businesses by June 2024 as the country’s accounting watchdog reacts to shortcomings that led to the collapse of several companies. The Financial Reporting Council is asking the so-called …

From Enron to Wirecard – Big 4 Accounting Firms Still Face Systemic Problems

Two decades of financial disasters from Enron Inc.’s collapse in 2001 to Wirecard AG’s meltdown have left the Big Four accounting firms facing a major cultural problem that regulators may struggle to resolve. The 1.9 billion euros ($2.1 billion) missing …

British Court Awards $11 Million to EY Whistleblower Who Exposed Money Laundering

A British court awarded $11 million in damages and expenses on Friday [April 17] to a former partner at global accounting firm Ernst & Young who exposed money laundering at a major gold refinery in the United Arab Emirates. Amjad …

Big 4 Accounting Firms Should Separate Auditing, Consulting Work: UK Lawmakers

The “Big Four” accounting firms should be forced to legally separate their “cash cow” consulting work from their auditing businesses, a U.K. Parliament committee said Tuesday. PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte, EY and KPMG — which between them control more than 90 percent …

Brexit Begins to Hit UK Financial Services as EU Counterparts See Big Gains: Study

Britain’s financial-services industry is suffering a drop in foreign investment while some of its European counterparts enjoy big gains, according to a new study that shows the starkest indication yet of Brexit’s impact on the sector. Investment from abroad in …

First Blockchain for Marine Insurance Now Running

A blockchain that is said to be the first for $30 billion marine insurance is now in commercial use, according to a coalition of technology, insurance, marine and consulting businesses. EY, Guardtime, A.P. MΓΈller-Maersk, Microsoft and insurance partners Willis Towers …

Some U.K. Professional Firms ‘Understate’ Gender Pay Gap as New Data Law Looms

U.K. politicians are demanding law and accounting firms revise figures on how male and female staff are remunerated amid criticism that their partnership structures let them understate the gender pay gap. British companies with more than 250 employees have until …

UK Accounting Regulator Urged to Slap Larger Fines on ‘Big Four’ Firms

Misdeeds by the world’s “Big Four” accounting firms should be punished with much bigger fines, Britain’s accounting watchdog was advised in a report released on Tuesday. “Fines greater than those that have heretofore been imposed may be appropriate in really …

Allianz Develops Blockchain Prototype for Captive Insurance Program

Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty SE (AGCS) has successfully trialed blockchain technology for a global captive insurance program, which facilitates cash transfers between countries. AGCS’s Allianz Risk Transfer (ART) business has teamed up with EY (Ernst & Young) as blockchain …