With global assets in sustainability and ESG-related investment vehicles due to surpass $53 trillion by 2025, the need for reliable, neutral, and comprehensive frameworks for reporting sustainability information is evident. And policymakers and regulatory bodies have taken note. The European Union (EU) continues to negotiate terms for its Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive. This past March, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission proposed new rules regarding disclosure of climate-related risks. The newly formed International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), which has support of the G20 and others, issued their exposure drafts for sustainability reporting for public comment. The International Organization of Securities Commissions and Financial Stability Board weighed in on climate-related disclosures as well.

Review the press release on the IAASB's website.

Key takeaways focus on themes around the continuing need for a timely global solution comprising a separate, standalone standard; working towards a common understanding of what an ‘LCE’ is and that this should also appropriately include audits of group financial statements; ways to support adoption and implementation of the standard; and the importance of communication about how the standard helps serve the public interest.

Review the press release and key takeaways on the IAASB's website.

Review the press release and guidance on the IAASB's website.

The new fact sheet addresses the clarified definition and its possible impacts, including recognition that engagement teams may be organized in a variety of ways, including across different locations or by the activity they are performing. The fact sheet also includes a diagram that walks users through who specifically is included and excluded.

Review the press release and fact sheet on the IAASB's website.

The PCAOB will evaluate comments received, along with other evidence obtained from the analysis, and consider whether additional guidance or other steps may be appropriate.

Review the following additional information on the PCAOB's website:

• Press release
• Request for Comment
• Auditing accounting estimates
• Using the work of specialists

Review the press release and survey on the IFIAR's website.

ISA 600 (Revised) includes a robust risk-based approach to planning and performing a group audit. The approach focuses the group auditor’s attention and work effort on identifying and assessing the risks of material misstatement of the group financial statements and designing and performing further audit procedures to respond to those assessed risks. It also recognizes that component auditors can be, and often are, involved in all phases of the group audit. The standard furthermore promotes a clear, proactive and scalable approach for group audits that can be applied to today’s evolving group audit structures.

The IAASB also developed a Basis for Conclusions and factsheet to support the implementation.

Review the press release on the IAASB's website.

CPAB's 2021 findings show mixed inspection results with inconsistent audit performance among the 11 annually inspected audit firms. Key findings at the annually inspected firms include:

• Two of the four largest firms met the target of no more than 10 per cent of files inspected with significant findings.
• The findings rate at the other annually inspected firms in 2021 is substantially above CPAB’s target.
• Four firms had significant findings in more than 50 per cent of files inspected and three firms had significant findings in more than 25 per cent of files inspected.
• Investigations at two annually inspected audit firms resulted in the imposition of requirements and/or sanctions including public censure.

Overall, their reviews point to disappointing deficiencies in the areas of professional skepticism, sufficient audit evidence and forward-looking estimates. They expect a continued high level of enforcement and other regulatory intervention in 2022.

Review the report on the CPAB's website.

For entities of all types and sizes, management has to make accounting estimates, which have estimation uncertainty and may also be complex. Making these estimates involves selecting and applying a method using assumptions and data, which requires judgment. The nature, timing and extent of the audit procedures required will vary in relation to the estimation uncertainty and the assessment of the related risks of material misstatement.  

This implementation tool contains “what”, “why” and “how” suggestions. These are not all-encompassing and more or different considerations may apply depending on the circumstances of the engagement. The implementation tool also works in conjunction with the IAASB’s previously published ISA 540 (Revised) flowcharts showing the requirements flow. The choice of specific procedures an auditor decides to perform to meet the requirements of ISA 540 (Revised) and other relevant ISAs is a matter of professional judgement. This implementation tool does not replace the need to read ISA 540 (Revised), including its application and other explanatory material.

Review the press release and resource on the IFAC's website.

Re­view the press release and Spot­light pub­li­ca­tion on the PCAOB's web­site.