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Layoff Watch
Exclusive: Big Four giant KPMG to cut more jobs [City AM]
Big Four giant KPMG is set to lay off around 10 per cent of staff in its UK group corporate services division, City AM understands. The division, which includes HR, corporate affairs, marketing, tech, and procurement, is understood to be cutting around 200 people. A KPMG UK spokesperson told City AM: “As we continue to integrate our UK and Swiss businesses to deliver on our group strategy and drive growth, we are looking at the shape of our operating model.”
Exclusive: PwC set to cut audit jobs amid market slowdown [City AM]
PwC is set to slash its headcount in its UK audit division, the latest in a series of redundancies at Big Four accountancy giants. City AM understands that those affected are senior associates and managers in the audit practice. It is understood this is due to low staff attrition in the firm’s audit practice, a result of aggressive post-pandemic hiring when audit and consulting services were booming, but the market has since plateaued, prompting firms to cut their workforce.
People
Hazleton area accountant writes book about his walk with God [Standard Speaker]
John Nonnemacher set aside 10 minutes a day to write a book. After 2½ years, he finished. “Everybody says they’re going to write a book and regrets that they didn’t. I did it,” Nonnemacher said.
Technology
MindBridge urges clearer PCAOB guidance on AI audits [IT Brief UK]
MindBridge, which develops AI tools for financial analysis in audit work, argues that the PCAOB should make AI-augmented procedures an explicit strategic priority. Its response focuses on how the regulator’s inspection, standard-setting and reporting programmes should adapt as automated analysis becomes more common in audit workflows. According to MindBridge, the audit profession still operates under standards built around sampling and manual review, while newer systems can assess entire transaction populations and assign risk scores across them. It argues that this shift has created uncertainty for firms that want to rely on technology-assisted work but are unsure how inspectors will judge the resulting evidence.
7 CFO risks from the high-stakes adoption of AI [CFO Dive] CFOs and technologists are prone to superlatives when describing the coming impact of artificial intelligence, labelling the technology more disruptive than — to name a few — the steam engine, telegraph and mainframe computer. “It’s become as big if not bigger than the dot-com internet boom,” Burt Chao, CFO of Nintex, a process automation provider, said in an interview, describing the pace of change as a “blur.”
AI adoption to adaptation: How a new change approach can build the human behaviors needed for AI [Deloitte]
While worker access to AI tools has expanded by 50% in a single year, according to Deloitte’s 2026 State of AI in the Enterprise report, fewer than 60% of workers with access actually use AI in their daily workflow, and 84% of organizations have not redesigned jobs or workflows around AI.1 “Too many organizations treat AI as an adoption problem without first asking how you can achieve the outcomes desired,” says Michael Ehret, chief people officer at Walmart International. “What’s really required is behavioral change.”
How leaders are rethinking tax: AI-driven transformation [EY]
Recently, Ernst & Young LLP hosted a roundtable with Fortune 500 heads of tax, including two Fortune 100 chief tax officers who are early adopters of AI. During the roundtable, these leaders shared their experiences and strategies that inspired their teams to move beyond routine compliance, unlocking new avenues for strategic impact and professional growth.
Big Four Firms Hone Crypto Advisory Services as Demand Swells [Bloomberg Tax]
Crypto? What year is it??
Deloitte, PwC, EY, and KPMG — known as the Big Four — say their client bases are expanding with crypto natives and traditional financial institutions intent on learning how to navigate the emerging regulations and evolving accounting rules surrounding the industry. “The pace of change in this space is different than anything else I’ve seen,” said Matthew Hatch, the fintech and financial services digital assets leader for EY Americas. “Every month or two, there’s new players, new capabilities, and you have to stay current when we’re investing heavily in that.”
Law & Order (and Regulation)
KPMG Ex-Manager Alleges Religion, Race Bias Over Easter Work [Bloomberg Law]
A former KPMG LLP manager is accusing the firm of religious and racial discrimination over having to work Easter weekend despite scheduling time off due to the holiday and childcare obligations. Frank Jones, who is Black, Christian and a single father with joint custody of two children, sued the Big Four accounting firm over the situation and ensuing events he said led to his firing from its Atlanta-based mergers and acquisitions services group, according to a complaint filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
Australia regulator reviews audit conduct complaints at Big Four after KPMG scandal [Reuters]
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) said on Thursday it would examine internal and whistleblower complaints about audit conduct, including the misuse or sharing of confidential information, while continuing a separate investigation into specific allegations involving KPMG. “The allegations concerning KPMG are serious. ASIC will use the existing suite of limited powers available to us, while continuing to engage constructively with the government’s reform process,” ASIC Chair Sarah Court said.
Audit
PCAOB Announces Members of the Inspections Modernization Council [PCAOB]
They are: David J. Cohen, CPA, CFE, Forvis Mazars, LLP; Kyle D. Crockett, Ford Motor Company; Ashley “Ash” Dalnoot, CPA, Grant Thornton Advisors LLC; Alicia R. Damley, CFA, CPA, CA, Aarya Capital; Stacy Hammett, CPA, CA, Canadian Public Accountability Board; Angelo Poulikakos, PROTIVITI; Manuel J. Ramirez, CPA, MST, FABFA RJI International; Jen Sisson, International Corporate Governance Network; Dan G. Sunderland, Northeastern University; Huong Tran; Instacart; Brendan Whalen, CPA, S.R. Snodgrass, P.C.; Lucia M. Wind, CFE, Committee of Sponsoring Organizations.
NYC Investigation Department warns: Adams-era audit gaps raise fraud concerns within government [AMNY]
Of the 50 agencies and offices that responded to a Department of Investigation (DOI) questionnaire, 30% said they had no staff performing internal audit functions, 17 reported having fewer active audit staffers than budgeted, and 16 reported recruitment or retention challenges tied to auditing roles.
Comptroller Releases Independent Forensic Audit of Memphis Shelby County Schools [Tennessee Comptroller]
Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury Jason Mumpower has released the results of an independent evaluation of Memphis Shelby County Schools (MSCS) that identified widespread failures in governance, internal controls, procurement, financial oversight, and accountability that developed over multiple years and exposed taxpayers to unnecessary risks. The evaluation consists of four volumes prepared by CliftonLarsonAllen LLP (CLA): an Internal Controls Assessment and IT Cybersecurity Risk Assessment, a Forensic Audit, a Whitehaven High School Herbert STEM Center Investigation, and a TennCare Evaluation. “The failures identified in these reports are unacceptable,” said Comptroller Mumpower.
Audit: State Bar missed warning signs before 2025 exam fiasco [Cal Matters]
And you thought Prometric mishaps were bad!
A new state audit says poor planning by the State Bar of California led to the exam fiasco that aspiring lawyers faced in February 2025. In an effort to save money, the cash-strapped State Bar created a way to take the exam online at home, but for test takers , who routinely take months off of work and spend thousands of dollars studying for the exam, the remote version was a nightmare. Glitches, delays and malfunctions — including repeated software crashes — brought many to tears, according to a class-action lawsuit filed against the proctor, Meazure Learning.
Education
How AI and hybrid work are reshaping the accounting profession [University of Idaho]
As the profession evolves, accounting education must evolve alongside it. Preparing future auditors now requires more than teaching technical accounting concepts alone. Students must also learn how to work with AI tools, analyze complex datasets and communicate effectively in digital environments. Hands-on learning opportunities are becoming increasingly important in accounting and business education. Coursework should expose students to real-world datasets, visualization tools such as Tableau and Power BI, and emerging AI technologies that support decision-making and business analysis.
