Audit watchdog increases enforcement team by 25% during preparations for move to more powerful Audit, Reporting and Governance Authority as outgoing chairman warns reviews may not address all stakeholder expectations  

In this month’s audit updates, KPMG is hit with £3.5m BNY Mellon fine, FRC fines hit record levels, firms required to report staff misconduct, BEIS clarifies Sports Direct auditor position, PwC quits Staffline audit but wins IHG audit, IESBA aims to strengthen scepticism, FRC consults on client assets while NAO revises Code of Practice

ICAEW is consulting on proposed updates to guidance on assurance reports on internal controls of service organisations for third parties, set out in technical release 01/06 AAF

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has launched a consultation proposing limited revisions to the Client Assets Assurance Standard (CASS), which provides requirements and guidance for auditors who are have to report to the Financial Conduct Authority on an entity’s compliance with the CASS Rules

The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) is consulting on proposals to tighten up the International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants in a bid to clarify the level of professional scepticism expected from accountants handling audits

In this month’s audit updates, Deloitte hit with £6.5m fine over Serco, Ferrexpo swaps Big Four auditor for MHA, ‘complexities’ delay Sport Direct results, BEIS audit market reform consultation, MPs concerns over FRC chair appointment, ethical standards and local authority audits both up for review

The National Audit Office (NAO) has set out the framework for a revised Code of Audit Practice for public sector auditors with a sharper focus on value for money and clearer reporting, while retaining the current principles-based approach

Plans for a radical overhaul of the audit market are progressing as the government launches an eight-week consultation to gauge views on CMA market reforms, including possible introduction of joint audits, operational split at Big Four to hive off audit, and more powers for the new audit  regulator

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is to introduce more stringent ethical rules for auditors in response to findings from recent audit enforcement cases and audit inspections

The Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) has begun a consultation on an internal audit code of practice in the wake of high-profile corporate failures

The government has launched a wide-ranging review into the quality of local authority audits, examining the effectiveness of financial reporting and whether local councils are spotting warning signs early enough

In this month’s audit updates, fines for PwC over Redcentric, KPMG refuses to retender $2.2m Cineworld audit, ICAEW finds one in four audits sub-standard, Gama Aviation ditches Grant Thornton and the Financial Reporting Council gets a new head of audit inspections on loan from the Bank of England

The US is planning to update the Audit Evidence Statement On Auditing Standards (SAS) to modernise the guidance for auditors to reflect increasing use of audit data analytics, blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI)

MPs have accused the government of dragging its feet over reforms to the audit market, with the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) committee calling for faster action, warning of the risks of becoming bogged down in further consultations with three major reviews already in hand

In this month’s audit updates, FRC reveals final plan and budget, KPMG in £5M Co-Op Bank fine, Mazars bags Goldman Sachs audit, ‘opinion shopping’ hides red flags, Laura Ashley audit fines, Anglo American ditches Deloitte and IAASB consults on audit simplification