By Helmut Havenith, Audit Central SARL
Supervisors and auditors agree on one point: fraud. As usual in the matter, the whipping post is ready and candidates to be tied there are abundant. Undeniably, there was something wrong with Wirecard’s business and financial statements.
By Paul Speidel, Kutchins, Robbins & Diamond, Ltd. (KRD)
Gathering suffcient audit evidence in a remote audit environment is requiring auditors to be creative and to implement new techniques. Physical examinations, inspections, and observations are still required by auditing standards. Also, the auditor is still required to develop an understanding of the controls pertaining to the major transaction cycles and accounting processes, perform fraud interviews, make physical inventory observations, and perform other tasks traditionally done in person.
By Jeffrey A. Ford, Grossman Yanak & Ford LLP
Assessing an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern can be challenging even in the best of times. Assessing this in the midst of the COVID pandemic may present additional uncertainties. Nevertheless, auditors and management are required to assess if substantial doubt exists regarding a company’s ability to continue as a going concern for at least twelve months past issuance of financial statements.
By Seres Baum, WGI – Work Group International
The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the ways and behaviours of people all around the world. The social distancing measures that were implemented to prevent the contagion of the disease, or to modify the timeline of the contagion curve, enhanced some trends that did not seem so obvious.
By Tanvi Gupta, Ashwani & Associates, Chartered Accountants
We are living through one of the most challenging times in recent history with the COVID-19 pandemic impacting businesses globally and causing turbulence of an unimaginable scale. The resultant effect, worldwide, has led to many entities experiencing significant shifts in demand and supply curves and decline in their market capitalisation. Given the forceful impact of the pandemic, entities need to address whether a triggering event necessitating testing for impairment of its assets has arisen for financial reporting.
By Tom Parry, Navolio & Tallman LLP
As auditors plan audits of clients with 2020 fiscal year-ends, they will need to consider how the clients have been affected by the pandemic. The US Auditing Standards Board has identified four areas that may present heightened risks for auditors:
By Carole Hong Tran, FIDAG SARL
In a post-crisis environment, businesses are increasingly exposed to solvency risks, in addition to liquidity risks, as the crisis continues. Through many immediate decisions, the French government is trying to limit the adverse impacts on the economy and to help businesses stay afloat. Maintaining business cashflow has been a core goal of the fiscal policy measures which have included:
By Jeffrey A. Ford, Grossman Yanak & Ford LLP
The FASB ASU 2016-09, Improvements to Share-Based Payment Accounting, simplified several aspects of accounting for share-based payment awards (SPAs) to employees. Here, we focus on those simplifications related to forfeitures, excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies, statement of cash flows classification, and practical expedients for non-public companies. This guidance does not apply to awards to nonemployees.
By Ira M. Talbi, Prager Metis International LLC
The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) issues, as necessary, Statements on Auditing Standards (“SAS”). Of the current total of 130+ SAS, numbers 104 to 111 are collectively referred to as the Risk Assessment Standards (“RAS”) and have been in effect since December 2006.
By Prof Dr Michel De Wolf, DGST Réviseurs d’entreprises
With the consent of the Public Interest Oversight Board, the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB), at the end of 2019, approved a revised International Standard on Auditing: “Identifying and assessing the risks of material misstatement”. Remarkably, only 15 of its 18 present members carried an affirmative vote in favour of the new standard 1 (see footnote below).
