Assurance stories
Resilience is becoming the key test of New Zealand's payments overhaul as cyber threats and AI add strain to shared infrastructure.
The wider rollout will put AI tools in the hands of more than 276,000 KPMG staff, as the firm pushes clients beyond pilot projects.
The five-year plan aims to move clients beyond pilot projects and into enterprise-wide AI use, targeting measurable returns across core functions.
Organisations will get a single team to deploy AI across core functions, as EY and Microsoft commit more than USD $1 billion over five years.
Auditors could cut review time sharply as Caseware's new system keeps AI guidance inside regulated workflows with citation-backed controls.
The expansion could help regulated firms keep sensitive traffic within legal boundaries during outages, failovers or congestion across clouds.
US audit firms are now scrutinising AI outputs more closely as adoption spreads and concerns over judgment and compliance persist.
Many firms cannot pause AI systems quickly or explain failures to regulators, according to ISACA's European survey of 681 professionals.
Auditors will spend less time on routine checks as EY embeds multi-agent AI into its global Assurance workflows through Canvas.
The rollout puts AI into 160,000 audits and could cut administrative work as EY braces for bigger data volumes and tougher assurance demands.
Routine bookkeeping is becoming faster but riskier, as firms weigh oversight, data security and how many junior hours AI agents can replace.
Enterprise finance teams will be able to connect oversight tools faster, as MindBridge opens access to more than 130 API endpoints and integration guides.
Tether hires a Big Four auditor for its first full independent review of USD₮, backing more than USD $184 billion of the leading stablecoin.
The World Gold Council unveils a shared Gold as a Service platform to standardise and scale interoperable digital gold infrastructure.
Independent accountants could cut preparation time sharply as a rebrand signals Current's wider bet on AI tools and shared services.
Broader dataset analysis has helped Pinion trim a complex review from 200 hours to 150, while improving client discussions.
The hire strengthens scrutiny of social impact claims as boards and investors demand measurement that is closer to financial reporting standards.
UK firms are still treating cyber security as an IT issue, leaving board oversight, supplier checks and proof of resilience dangerously thin.
Smaller firms risk being left behind unless ministers back AI infrastructure, training and accessible support, the body said.
Assurance-ready firms are pulling ahead as finance teams face rising scrutiny over AI results, with active use now at 75% globally.