The Technology Working Group of the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) is pleased to announce the members of the recently established IESBA Technology Experts Group (TEG).

Experienced in using and implementing technology, TEG members will act as a “sounding board” to the IESBA’s Technology Working Group, providing advice and other input to help inform the Working Group’s fact-finding work and deliverables. 

The TEG will be chaired by IESBA Member and Chair of the Technology Working Group, Mr. Brian Friedrich. TEG members are:

• Jason Bradley, Financial Reporting Council, United Kingdom
• Mary Breslin, Verracy, North America
• Danielle Cheek, MindBridge AI, North America
• Muhammad Fahad Riaz, Maglytic, Middle East
• Clinton Firth, Ernst & Young, Middle East and North Africa
• William Gee, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Mainland China and Hong Kong
• Loreal Jiles, Institute of Management Accountants, North America
• Mario Malouin, Université du Québec en Outaouais, North America

The TEG is expected to hold its first meeting before the IESBA’s June 2022 Board Meeting. The TEG will receive technical staff support from Jon Reid, Senior Technical Manager at the Australian Accounting Professional & Ethical Standards Board (APESB), a member of the IESBA-National Standard Setters liaison group.

About the IESBA’s Technology Initiatives 

The IESBA is progressing multiple technology workstreams in a coordinated manner. This includes:

• The development of technology-related revisions to the Code so that it remains relevant and fit for purpose as technology advances (the Technology project). On February 18, 2022, the IESBA released its Exposure Draft: Proposed Technology-related Revisions to the Code with a comment period until June 20, 2022.
• Fact finding to identify and assess the potential impact of technology on the behavior of professional accountants and the applicability of the Code in relation to ethics and independence.
• The development of technology-related thought leadership and other materials in relation to ethics and independence for professional accountants and the wider stakeholder community.

Additional information about the IESBA’s technology workstreams is available on the IESBA’s website.

The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) invites you to join our upcoming webinar on the IESBA’s recently released exposure draft Proposed Technology-related Revisions to the Code, which includes changes to the International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards) (the Code).

The webinar is scheduled for April 5, 2022, at 7:00 am Eastern Time - Click here to register now.

This one-hour webinar will also include an opportunity for stakeholders to participate in a questions and answers session with the presenters, Mr. Richard Huesken, IESBA member and Chair of the Technology Task Force, and Mr. Gregory Driscoll, IESBA technical advisor and member of the Technology Task Force. It will be held on Zoom.

The IESBA’s technology exposure draft represents the IESBA’s firm response to the transformative effects of technology by enhancing the Code’s robustness and expanding its relevance in an environment being reshaped by rapid technological advancements. The proposed amendments will guide the ethical mindset and behavior of professional accountants in business and in public practice as they deal with changes brought by technology in their work processes and the content of the services they provide. The proposed revisions build on the role and mindset changes that became effective last December, and the revised Non-Assurance Services (NAS) provisions that will become effective in December 2022.

The webinars will be held in English and available on YouTube following the session. 

The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) will hold a series of three global virtual roundtables to obtain stakeholder feedback on matters it is considering relating to the development of an ethics standard addressing the provision of tax planning and related services by professional accountants in business (PAIBs) and professional accountants in public practice (PAPPs).

In recent years, much public attention has focused on the topic of tax planning and related services, notwithstanding the legality of the tax mitigation schemes, structures or transactions to achieve desired tax outcomes. Questions have been raised regarding the ethical implications for integrity and professional behavior, among other fundamental ethics principles, when PAIBs are involved in developing or implementing tax strategies that are perceived as “aggressive,” or when PAPPs provide advice to their clients on such strategies. The issue is of such major public interest significance that it has been discussed on the G20 agenda.

In light of the public concerns, the IESBA committed in its Strategy and Work Plan 2019-2023 to understand and address the ethical implications of “aggressive tax planning” as it relates to the role of PAIBs and PAPPs. Following fact finding, the IESBA initiated a project aimed at developing a principles-based framework to guide PAIBs’ and PAPPs’ ethical conduct when providing tax planning services to their employing organizations and clients, respectively.

Save the dates! The roundtables will be held virtually during these sessions:

• Monday April 25, 11 am-3 pm EDT
• Tuesday April 26, 8 am-12 pm EDT
• Thursday April 28, 12 am-4 am EDT

Would you like to attend?

As space is limited, attendance will be by invitation only. Register your interest at TPRoundtables@ethicsboard.org by March 31, 2022, indicating your name, job title, organization, location and session. An invitation will follow shortly!

Who should attend?

Members of the investor and corporate governance communities, preparers of financial statements, regulators including tax authorities, international organizations, national standards setters, accountancy firms including tax practitioners, professional accountancy organizations, other professions involved in providing tax planning and related services (e.g., the legal profession), and academics.

About IESBA

The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) is an independent global standard-setting board. The IESBA’s mission is to serve the public interest by setting ethics standards, including auditor independence requirements, which seek to raise the bar for ethical conduct and practice for all professional accountants through a robust, globally operable International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards) (the Code).

The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) today released for public comment the Exposure Draft Proposed Revisions to the Code Relating to the Definition of Engagement Team and Group Audits.

The proposed revisions establish provisions that comprehensively address independence considerations for firms and individuals involved in an engagement to perform an audit of group financial statements. The proposals also address the independence implications of the change in the definition of an engagement team―a concept central to an audit of financial statements―in the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board’s (IAASB) International Standard on Auditing (ISA) 220, Quality Management for an Audit of Financial Statements.

“Auditor independence, in fact and in appearance, is fundamental to public trust and confidence in the financial statement audit, which in turn plays a major role in safeguarding the integrity of the financial system,” said IESBA Chair Ms. Gabriela Figueiredo Dias. “These proposals bring much needed clarifications and reinforcement in an area of auditor independence that can be especially challenging, given that many audits are performed for the largest and most complex groups around the world. I wish to acknowledge the close coordination with, and support of, the IAASB in developing those proposals.”

Among other matters, the proposals:

• Establish new defined terms and revise a number of existing terms, including for application with respect to independence in a group audit context.
• Clarify and enhance the independence principles that apply to:
  • Individuals involved in a group audit.
  • Firms engaged in the group audit, including firms within and outside the group auditor firm’s network.
• More explicitly set out the process to address a breach of an independence provision at a component auditor firm, including reinforcing the need for appropriate communication between the relevant parties and with those charged with governance of the group.
• Align a number of provisions in the Code to conform to changes in the IAASB’s Quality Management standards.

The development of the proposals has benefited from close coordination with the IAASB’s group audits and quality management projects.

How to Comment 

The IESBA invites all stakeholders to comment on the ET-GA ED by visiting the IESBA’s website. Comments are requested by May 31, 2022.

About the IESBA

The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) is an independent global standard-setting board. The IESBA serves the public interest by setting ethics standards, including auditor independence requirements, which seek to raise the bar for ethical conduct and practice for all professional accountants through a robust, globally operable International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards).

The IESBA believes a single set of high-quality ethics standards enhances the quality and consistency of services provided by professional accountants, thus contributing to public trust and confidence in the accountancy profession. The IESBA sets its standards in the public interest with advice from the IESBA Consultative Advisory Group (CAG) and under the oversight of the Public Interest Oversight Board (PIOB).

The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) today released for public comment proposed revisions to the International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards).

The Exposure Draft Proposed Technology-related Revisions to the Code seeks to enhance the Code’s robustness and expand its relevance in an environment being reshaped by rapid technological advancements. The proposed amendments will guide the ethical mindset and behavior of professional accountants in business and in public practice as they deal with changes brought by technology in their work processes and the content of the services they provide. 

“Technological innovation is transforming the world of business and professional services in ways we would never have imagined even a decade ago,” said IESBA Chair Ms. Gabriela Figueiredo Dias. “Technology is not neutral, and professional accountants’ working relationship with it must be shaped by ethics. These timely proposals are designed to emphasize and strengthen the ethical principles that should guide them as they navigate the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities created by these developments, recognizing ultimately their responsibility to act in the public interest.”

Among other matters, the proposals:

• Draw special attention to the professional competence and confidentiality imperatives of the digital age. 
• Address the ethical dimension of professional accountants’ reliance on, or use of, the output of technology in carrying out their work. 
• Further enhance considerations relating to threats from the use of technology as well as considerations relating to complex circumstances in applying the Code’s conceptual framework. 
• Strengthen and clarify the International Independence Standards (IIS) with respect to technology-related non-assurance services (NAS) firms may provide to their audit clients or technology-related business relationships they may enter into with their audit clients.
• Explicitly acknowledge that the IIS that apply to assurance engagements are applicable to assurance engagements on non-financial information, for example, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosures.

The development of the proposals has been informed by extensive fact-finding work and outreach to stakeholders.

The proposed revisions build on the role and mindset changes that became effective last December, and the revised NAS provisions that will become effective in December 2022.

How to Comment

The IESBA invites all stakeholders to comment on the Exposure Draft by visiting the IESBA website. Comments are requested by June 20, 2022.

The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), which comprises 180 member and associate organizations and represents over 3 million professional accountants globally, welcomes the opportunity to provide input into the European Commission’s work to enhance corporate reporting—including a focus on corporate governance, statutory audit, and supervisory aspects of the ecosystem that delivers relevant, reliable, and comparable information to stakeholders.

As the voice of the global accountancy profession, IFAC understands the crucial role that auditors, as well as professional accountants more broadly, play in high-quality corporate reporting.  But no matter how skilled or well-resourced, auditors alone cannot overcome significant shortcomings in other key areas of the reporting ecosystem—especially the role of directors, audit committees, and those charged with governance.

IFAC believes that global standards promote global methodologies, which lead to enhanced and more consistent quality in both reporting and assurance.  We support high-quality, globally-applicable standards for financial reporting developed by the IASB, sustainability disclosure developed by the ISSB, audit and assurance developed by the IAASB, as well as the IESBA International Code of Ethics.  We also believe audit firms are best placed to provide not only audits of financial statements but also assurance on sustainability disclosures.

IFAC CEO Kevin Dancey said, “Corporate governance, audit, and supervision have historically focused on financial statement reporting for investors and other providers of capital.  But now that sustainability-related disclosure is becoming mainstream, this information must also be high-quality and trustworthy.  The accountancy profession, with its responsibility to act in the public interest, has an essential role to play in this evolution of corporate reporting.”

About IFAC
IFAC is the global organization for the accountancy profession dedicated to serving the public interest by strengthening the profession and contributing to the development of strong international economies. IFAC is comprised of 180 members and associates in 135 countries and jurisdictions, representing more than 3 million accountants in public practice, education, government service, industry, and commerce.

A global search has begun for highly qualified individuals to fill four volunteer openings on the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) for an initial term of service of up to 3 years, commencing January 1, 2023.

The Public Interest Oversight Board’s (PIOB) newly formed Standard Setting Boards’ Nominations Committee has issued Invitations for Application, which includes the calls for both IESBA members and members of the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB). The application period will be open until March 30, 2022. The Board terms are renewable after the initial three years, for a maximum term of service of six years.

The Nominations Committee will make recommendations to the PIOB for up to four appointments and re-appointments to the IESBA. Individuals may also make nominations on their own behalf.

For additional information, please see the PIOB’s nominations web page or email SSBNominations@ipiob.org.

The Staff of the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) today released a set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the recently revised fee-related provisions of The International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards) (the Code)*. The FAQs have been informed by the extensive discussions and consultations with a wide range of stakeholder groups and the IESBA’s own deliberations during the development and finalization of the standard.

The publication is designed to highlight, illustrate or explain aspects of the revised fee-related provisions in the Code and thereby assist in their proper application. It is intended to complement the Basis for Conclusions for the final standard and assist national standards setters, professional accountancy organizations, and professional accountants in public practice (including firms) as they adopt and/or implement the revised provisions. The publication is also intended to assist regulators and audit oversight bodies, the corporate governance community, investors, preparers, educational bodies or institutions, and other stakeholders in understanding the revised standard and its application.

*The revised standard addresses a number of topics, including threats to independence created by fees paid by an audit client (including fees for services other than audit), fee dependency, and transparency of fee-related information to those charged with governance and to the public from an auditor independence perspective in the case of public interest entities. The revised standard becomes effective for audits of financial statements for periods beginning on or after December 15, 2022. Read the provisions here.

Today, the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board^® (IPSASB^®) has issued Improvements to IPSAS, 2021. The pronouncement was approved by the IPSASB in December 2021.

Improvements to IPSAS, 2021 includes minor improvements to IPSAS to address issues raised by stakeholders and minor amendments sourced from recent IFRS improvements and narrow scope projects.

About the IPSASB
The International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB) works to strengthen public financial management globally through developing and maintaining accrual-based International Public Sector Accounting Standards® (IPSAS®) and other high-quality financial reporting guidance for use by governments and other public sector entities. It also raises awareness of IPSAS and the benefits of accrual adoption. The Board receives support from the Asian Development Bank, the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada, the New Zealand External Reporting Board, and the governments of Canada and New Zealand. The structures and processes that support the operations of the IPSASB are facilitated by the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC). For copyright, trademark, and permissions information, please go to permissions or contact permissions@ifac.org.

About the Public Interest Committee
The governance and standard-setting activities of the IPSASB are overseen by the Public Interest Committee (PIC), to ensure that they follow due process and reflect the public interest. The PIC is comprised of individuals with expertise in public sector or financial reporting, and professional engagement in organizations that have an interest in promoting high-quality and internationally comparable financial information.

The latest IESBA eNews has been released and is available here. 

The 2-page newsletter includes highlights of the various activities going on in and around the IESBA.