Fintech PR
From traditional to tech-savvy – accounting firms plan increased technology investment over next two years according to Caseware study
Audit firms struggling to build teams with diverse skill sets that can deliver the audit of the future
TORONTO, Feb. 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Investing in technology is a key priority for accounting firms as they move into 2024, while mitigating the ongoing talent shortage and keeping pace with new laws continue to cause challenges for many within the profession. This is according to findings from the 2024 State of Accounting Firms Trends Report released by Caseware International, a global leader in cloud-enabled audit, financial reporting and data analytics solutions.
Meanwhile, Caseware’s 2024 State of Internal Audit Trends Report highlights the need for technology expertise amid ongoing issues around attracting and retaining top talent.
Caseware explores worldwide perspectives within the accounting and audit professions annually. Both reports are based on extensive surveys of practitioners from around the world that were conducted in late 2023.
State of Accounting Firms Findings
Firms are clearly committed to investing in technology, with 77% of survey respondents stating their financial outlay will increase either significantly or slightly over the next two years. This represents an increase of 8% when compared to the 2023 survey findings. Innovative technologies are entering the accounting landscape quickly, with Generative AI being a notable example. Despite only becoming widely available in the year that our survey was conducted, more than 10% of respondents identified it as a top-three area of intended software investment for 2024. Engagement software (audit, review and compilation, tax etc.) was selected as a top-three area of investment for the coming year by 21% of respondents.
Hiring and retaining talent remains a key issue for accounting firms. Overall, 88% of respondents said hiring and retaining talent was challenging to some degree, with 47% describing it as somewhat challenging and 41% saying it was extremely challenging. However, firms are starting to take action, with 32% offering training programs to upskill existing employees, 27% offering newly-created roles and capabilities into their firms and 24% opting to employ a third-party talent sourcing service.
David Osborne, Chief Executive Officer of Caseware International remarked, “Technology is a magnet for those considering joining the profession. The firms that fail to match the expectations of the accounting and audit professionals of tomorrow will see their talented, dynamic employees drift to competitors who offer more tech-savvy, progressive environments.”
Dealing with new laws and regulations was identified as the most frequently cited challenge among survey respondents, with 16% confirming this as their top issue. This highlights the pressures on firms to keep up with today’s dynamic and fast-paced regulatory climate. As global economic and regulatory environments become more complex, clients are increasingly turning to their accountants for advice and guidance. As a result, the demand for client advisory services is on the rise – 76% of survey respondents indicated that their firm has seen either significant (23%) or modest (53%) growth in this area.
State of Internal Audit Findings
Finding and retaining skilled auditors is slightly easier than in the previous year but remains difficult. When asked how challenging it was to hire and retain the right talent for their firms, almost 90% of survey respondents stated that it was either extremely or somewhat challenging.
With technology expertise in particularly high demand for internal audit departments, it’s clear that audit firms are looking to build teams equipped to deliver the audit of the future. When exploring the skill sets departments sought, data science elicited 18% of responses, while IT audit and cybersecurity garnered 15% and 12%, respectively. Artificial intelligence secured 9% of responses, while fraud examination was the most sought non-technical skill (10%) with ESG polling 8%.
Many firms are looking to data analytics to support and enhance their auditing activities. When asked about the use of data analytics in their audits, 21% said they are now using analytics for all audits, while an additional 57% indicated they are selectively using data analytics for some.
Ian Kirton, an internal audit industry expert commented, “It’s not a surprise to see that the use of data analytics is increasing. It’s how auditors are meeting the challenge of doing more with less. Analytics helps them spot risk, re-evaluate controls and perform continuous auditing.”
A significant internal pressure for audit teams is the need to do more with less time and resources – 30% of respondents identified this as their top selection. Auditors face increased reporting requirements, such as ESG, DEI and culture, often without a corresponding budget increase, so teams need to be as efficient as possible when completing their audits.
2024 State of Accounting Firms Trends Report
- Although 73% of respondents indicated they are either currently implementing or are planning to implement DEI initiatives in their firm, an alarming 27% said they are not and have no plans to do so.
- Firms continue to modernize their practices, with 76% responding that they use either cloud-only tools or a mix of desktop and cloud to help manage their practice. This is an increase of 17% compared to the 2023 findings.
- 17% of respondents are using offshoring to mitigate the accounting profession’s talent shortage.
2024 State of Internal Audit Trends Report
- Just 10% of respondents said hiring and retaining the right talent for their firm is not challenging at all.
- According to 76% of respondents, over the past year, the number of employees in their internal audit department has either increased or stayed the same.
- In the past year, 45% have seen growth in ESG-related audit work.
Caseware is the leading global provider of desktop and cloud-enabled solutions for audit, assurance, financial reporting and data analytics for accounting firms, corporations, and government regulators. Caseware’s innovative tools and platforms help more than half a million customers in 130 countries work smarter, dig deeper and see further as they transform insights into impact. For more information, visit www.caseware.com.
Notes to editors
Caseware conducted the 2024 State of Accounting Firms Survey from the second week of September to the second week of November 2023. It was offered in five languages: English, Spanish, French, Dutch and German, and garnered 2,054 validated survey completions. Responses were received from 49 countries, with the largest participation rates coming from the United States, Canada, South Africa and the United Kingdom.
The most frequently chosen title among respondents was Partner/Managing Partner, at just over one-third (34.6%).
Caseware conducted the 2024 State of Internal Audit Survey from the second week of September to the second week of November 2023. It was distributed in five languages – English, French, German, Dutch and Spanish – with 1,068 respondents completing the survey.
The most common job title for survey participants was “Internal Auditor” at 21%, followed by “Internal Audit Manager” at 16% and “Head of Internal Audit” at 14%.
In the event of media enquiries, please contact: Elise Sallis, Head of Global Communications, [email protected], +44 (0)7515 538014; Jill Quinn, Director Corporate Communications, [email protected], 1-416-737-0703
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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/from-traditional-to-tech-savvy—accounting-firms-plan-increased-technology-investment-over-next-two-years-according-to-caseware-study-302055388.html
SYDNEY, Nov. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Protecht Group, a global leader in enterprise risk management solutions, has released its innovative controls management solution. This cutting-edge tool empowers organizations to design, implement, and maintain a robust controls framework, streamlining compliance and enhancing operational efficiency.
Protecht’s controls management solution addresses the challenges faced by risk and compliance leaders in managing controls across complex regulatory environments. By integrating controls management into the organization’s broader ERM framework, the solution provides a centralized approach to mitigate risks, achieve compliance, and enable organizations to focus on strategic growth.
As organizations face increasing regulatory pressures, the need for a unified, efficient approach to controls management has never been greater. Many businesses struggle with fragmented processes, duplicated efforts across frameworks, and limited visibility into controls effectiveness. Protecht’s controls management solution simplifies these complexities by providing a single source of truth for controls assurance activities.
Key features of Protecht’s controls management solution
- Centralized controls library: Offers a single repository for all control data, tailored to align with organizational needs and regulatory frameworks.
- Simplified control testing: Streamlines the testing process with pre-built templates, automated scheduling, and real-time tracking of progress and results.
- Framework library: Enables seamless mapping between controls and multiple regulatory standards to eliminate redundancies and simplify compliance efforts.
- Advanced reporting and dashboards: Provides real-time insights into control effectiveness and areas requiring improvement, ensuring confidence in decision-making and risk management strategies.
“Protecht’s Controls Management solution simplifies the way organizations handle compliance and risk assurance,” says Damien Stevens, Chief Product & Marketing Officer at Protecht. “By integrating controls into the broader enterprise risk framework, we provide our customers with the tools they need to mitigate risks, optimize efficiency, and align their control environments with their strategic objectives.”
Supporting resources
To help organizations maximize the benefits of the new solution, Protecht offers a range of resources, including:
- Live webinars showcasing the solution’s capabilities for risk and IT professionals alike
- Product tours showing how the solution lets you solve specific controls-related problems
- A comprehensive eBook on building effective controls frameworks
- Opportunities to book a demo and see the solution in action
Find out more and download a brochure at www.protechtgroup.com/solutions/controls-management
About Protecht Group
Headquartered in Sydney, Australia, with offices in London and Los Angeles, Protecht Group provides innovative risk management solutions, including the Protecht ERM platform. Trusted by organizations across government, financial services, education, and other industries, Protecht empowers businesses to manage risk holistically, transitioning from spreadsheets and manual processes to efficient, integrated systems.
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Fintech PR
Robert Rahman Joins Dinosaur Group Holdings to Head its New Global Corporate Credit Securities Market Unit in the US, Europe & Asia
NEW YORK, Nov. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Dinosaur Financial Group LLC. (DFG), a New York based Investment Firm and Dinosaur Merchant Bank Ltd. (DMBL), a London based Institutional Brokerage announced the joining of Robert Rahman as the Global Head of the newly created Global Corporate Credit Securities (GCCS) unit.
Dinosaur Group’s new GCCS initiative seeks to provide clients with an alternative to the bulge bracket that will not compete with clients and seeks to offer those clients, a partner that can deliver reliable and trustworthy execution capabilities in a difficult liquidity backdrop. Robert’s new unit will complement the firm’s existing global footprint in Fixed Income.
Robert will oversee the sales, trading, and research business globally for Corporate Investment Grade, High Yield, Distressed, Stressed, Special Situations, Levered Loans, Re-Org Equities, Trade Claims, Private Credit and Converts within the GCCS unit.
Before Dinosaur, he was the Head of High Yield, Distressed and Loans within the capital markets division of Oppenheimer and Co (OPY) where he worked for the last 16 years. He has also been a senior member of Morgan Stanley’s High Yield sales team and has over 30 years of experience in all aspects of Institutional Credit. Robert started his career as a Credit Analyst within Salmon Brothers revered “Corporate Bond Research” team and at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette’s “Leveraged Finance Research” team.
Announcing his appointment, Glenn Grossman, CEO, Dinosaur Group said, “Robert’s deep client and issuer relationships along with his previous success in leading and building global credit teams will help the group to provide institutional clients with an additional liquidity platform for one stop credit trading across the world. We are very excited to see the new business grow under his leadership.”
Elliot Grossman, Managing Director added, “With Robert’s leadership, the group seeks to help institutional investors by providing capital to help facilitate trades versus being another riskless agency credit shop.”
Speaking about joining the Dinosaur group and his plans for the new business, Robert said, “I was attracted to the group given its established track record of providing client solutions in Fixed Income, globally for the past 25 years. My focus will be to provide institutional investors with an enhanced global liquidity platform for the US, European and Asian markets. I look forward to building this business at DFG.”
He also stated, “Sourcing trading block paper is nuanced and requires deep and long-standing client relationships from the trader, analyst, PM and CIO level. The new team will look to gain Fixed Income clients’ trust, add value and provide liquidity while so many competitors retrench.”
About Dinosaur Group Holdings
Dinosaur Group Holdings (DGH) is the holding company for Dinosaur Financial Group LLC. (DFG), an investment firm registered with the SEC and a member of FINRA and SIPC, Dinosaur Merchant Bank Ltd. (regulated by the FCA) and New York-based SEC-registered investment firm DCM Advisors, LLC.
Deploying a team of approximately 150 professionals, the overall organization provides global execution services, financing and advisory expertise/insights for equities, fixed income, commodities and derivatives, investment management as well as a suite of investment banking services providing financial solutions and capital markets execution to the middle market client base, both domestically and globally. Clients and counterparties spanning six continents are primarily institutions, family offices, asset managers, hedge funds, and corporations. Dinosaur Group takes pride in the business’ stable management, strong compliance, solid operations, and diverse talent.
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BIRMINGHAM, England, Nov. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Each year 32% of small businesses experience a legal issue but only 25% of these are able to access professional help. Of those who did engage lawyers, many had to draw on personal savings just to meet fees. The current legal system is unaffordable with the balance tipped against those without vast financial resources.
GitLaw.co, launching this week, is looking to change that. GitLaw has published hundreds of legal document templates which are entirely free to download or customize through its platform. GitLaw is built by a group of tech entrepreneurs including Nick Holzherr who previously founded Whisk.com, a software platform acquired by Samsung in 2019.
GitLaw’s name is inspired by Git technology and open source software development. This collaborative model allows legal documents to be freely available to use, modify or share, with complete version history transparency. GitLaw’s vision is to create a collaborative open source community for legal documents. GitLaw’s specialized features help users efficiently customize and finalize legal templates. Users can submit templates as well as suggest changes to existing documents, resulting in free community-driven standards for legal documents.
The service is initially targeted at small businesses in the US and UK. “As a startup founder I have first hand experience of having to navigate legal battles without budgets for lawyers and I wish I’d had something like GitLaw – a reliable repository of free legal documents” said Nick Holzherr, one of the founders of GitLaw. “We already have 300 documents that cover key contract types like NDAs (Non Disclosure Agreements), Employment Agreements and Privacy Policies, and we hope the community will continue to provide more documents”. Most of the documents on GitLaw today are created and contributed by reputable law firms, lawyers, investors and organizations.
While the platform targets the 400m global small businesses first, the company has a mission to bring GitLaw to wider audiences. “In the medium term I hope we’ll be able to cover a lot more areas of law like civil law.
Longer term, I can envision GitLaw being used to support the creation of national laws, enabling citizens to contribute, provide feedback, and transparently track every change made to their legislation.” said Holzherr.
GitLaw is free to use and available at www.gitlaw.co
Pictures available at https://gitlaw.co/press
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/new-gitlaw-platform-makes-creating-legal-documents-free-and-fast-302315630.html
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