Mainland to start teaching investment to children in schools
Mainland China’s Ministry of Education plans to introduce investment education in schools across the country as part of its national curriculum, the South China Morning Post reported this month. “The Ministry of Education will work to incorporate securities and futures knowledge in the curriculum to increase financial literacy [among young Chinese] in an innovative way,” China Securities Regulatory Commission spokeswoman Gao Li said. Finance and investment knowledge will be included in related subjects taught at primary and middle schools, but will not be compulsory, according to a news report by Xinhua. The report also said some schools could run optional investment and financial management courses. Investor education is already offered in some schools in Shanghai, Sichuan and Guangzhou, but has not been part of the national curriculum before.
Stronger regulator to replace U.K. audit watchdog
Britain’s accounting watchdog, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), will be replaced by a new regulator with more stringent powers, in a bid by the government to restore public trust in the audit market. The Audit, Reporting and Governance Authority will be able to investigate company directors, issue a wider range of sanctions in cases of corporate failure, and publish reports into a company’s conduct and management. The move comes amid the FRC’s effectiveness being scrutinized following the collapse of Carillion, and accounting scandals at BHS and Patisserie Valerie in the last few years. Chairman of the FRC, Win Bischoff, will step down from his position once the leadership of the new body is appointed.
New law gives Hong Kong citizens new tax breaks
Hong Kong lawmakers passed an amended law on 20 March allowing taxpayers to collect up to HK$60,000 in tax deductions. The new law, which comes into effect on 1 April, aims to encourage more voluntary retirement savings in pension schemes. Citizens will be able to claim their deduction on their tax returns in the new financial year. Wong Ting-kwong, lawmaker from the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, said the new law hopes to encourage more people to better prepare for retirement. “We support the law change, but we would also like to see the government review the scheme in the future and increase the tax incentive cap to HK$100,000.” The government is also introducing a Voluntuary Health Insurance Scheme to ease the strain on overburdered public hospitals. It hopes to shift 1.5 million people from public to private health care by offering the public a range of private health insurance products.
EY Japan appoints first female chair
Ernst & Young ShinNihon has appointed Masami Katakura as chair of the firm, beginning 1 July. The appointment marks the first time a woman will hold the position of chair of any major or mid-sized audit corporation in Japan, according to the firm. Katakura, aged 50, originally from Tokyo, first joined the firm’s predecessor Ota Showa Audit in 1991, made senior partner in 2011 and was later promoted to managing partner in 2016. She will lead the digitization and globalization of operations. Current Chairman Koichi Tsuji will go on to lead the parent company, EY Japan. According to a study by McKinsey & Company, Japan significantly lags behind other countries in Asia in terms of female board-level representation.
£1 trillion moved out of U.K. in light of Brexit
Financial services companies in the United Kingdom have begun initiating no-deal contingency plans, shifting an estimated £1 trillion worth of assets out of the U.K. The move is an attempt by financial services firms to mitigate the impact of a no-deal Brexit on their business and customers. According to EY, 39 percent of all financial services companies publicly announced their intentions to move part of their operations out of the U.K. as of last month, up from 36 percent in November last year. Dublin is the most preferred location for companies moving operations, followed by Luxembourg and Paris.
28
The number out of the 93 billionaires in the United Kingdom who have moved their assets overseas to legally avoid paying taxes according to The Times. Of that figure, half have moved assets within the past decade to territories including the Bahamas, Monaco, the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands.
US$120 billion
The proposed initial public offering (IPO) value of ride-hailing giant Uber. The company is expected to launch its IPO next month, joining a long list of tech companies expected to go public this year, including Slack, Pinterest, Palantir Technologies, and Uber’s competitor, Lyft.
12
The number of weeks of unpaid leave staff at EY Australia are able to take per year, beginning 1 April, as part of the firm’s new Life Leave Scheme. The new initiative seeks to address a growing demand for a more flexible working environment, and to retain the firm’s employees, of whom 80 percent will be millennials by next year.
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PwC finds accounting fraud at Steinhoff
Steinhoff, a South African furniture and household goods retailer, has been found by PwC to have fictitious transactions totalling US$7.4 billion between the financial years of 2009 and 2017, according to the Steinhoff company website. The firm found that the transactions, made by a small group of former top executives and outsiders, inflated earning and asset values which led to increased profits. In December 2017, South Africa’s audit regulator announced a probe into Deloitte, which has audited Steinhoff for almost 20 years. The scandal has led to Steinhoff’s market value losing 216 billion rand (HK$117 billion) since 2017, and several resignations including chief executive officer Markus Jooste, who denies any wrongdoing. Steinhoff said it would fully cooperate with any criminal investigations, and pursue claims against those responsible for fraud.
Levi’s goes public for the second time
Levi Strauss launched its initial public offering (IPO) on the New York Stock Exchange on 20 March, valuing the company at US$6.6 billion. It marked the jean maker’s return to the stock market after 34 years. The public offering raised US$623 million through the sale of 36.7 million shares at US$17 apiece, higher than the price range of US$14 to US$16 previously set by the company. The San Francisco-based blue jeans inventor first went public in 1971 before being privatized in 1985 after profits and its share price fell. The company, which began trading under the symbol “LEVI,” joins a string of high-profile IPOs hitting United States markets this year. Traders donned denim jackets and jeans, breaking the no-jeans dress code at the New York Stock Exchange on opening day. The company said it will use its share of the IPO proceeds for general corporate purposes, including potential acquisitions.
EY replaces KPMG as Aston Martin auditor
Aston Martin announced this month the appointment of EY as its auditor, after KPMG declined to reapply for tender less than three months after the company made its debut on the London Stock Exchange. EY will take over the audit of Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc for the financial year ending 31 December 2019. According to Sky News, the tender process was part of the group’s ongoing corporate governance procedures and does not reflect any dissatisfaction with KPMG’s work. Richard Solomons, Chair of the Aston Martin Audit and Risk Committee, said: “On behalf of the board I would like to thank KPMG for their service over the past 12 years as auditor to the Aston Martin Lagonda group since 2007, as well as their support for the IPO last year.”
Forensics helped reveal college scandal
Forensic accountants at the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation helped uncover the details of the college admission cheating scandal, which has seen more than 50 people – 33 of them Hollywood celebrities and athletic coaches – charged in connection with the case. The parents are accused of paying more than US$25 million between 2011 and 2018 to college admissions consultant William “Rick” Singer, who used part of the money to inflate student test scores and bribe college officials. Dr. Jennifer Stevens, Assistant Professor of Accountancy at the Ohio University School of Accountancy said: “[Forensic accountants] have played a huge role in the indictments. What the investigators would have done is trace the funds from the illegal entities to the people and vice versa, for the bribes and payments.”
