ICAEW.com works better with JavaScript enabled.

Insights

Pulling together opinion, analysis, interviews and features on the profession along with a focus on the key issues affecting accountancy and the world of business.

Contents
Back to top
Insights Special

Non-financial reporting: where are we headed?

The landscape for non-financial reporting is evolving at a pace with further expected changes on the horizon. What are the challenges that companies face when it comes to non-financial reports, where can improvements be made, and what does the future hold?
Read more
Insights special: Non-financial reporting

Latest news

Sustainability reporting: why should SMEs care?
  • Article
  • 01 Dec 2021
The penny is finally dropping that environmental and social reporting is becoming the responsibility of all practitioners and companies, says Johan Barros, EU Policy Manager at Accountancy Europe.
Accountants should translate energy costs into carbon data
  • Article
  • 01 Dec 2021
Angus Douglas, group finance director at Star Refrigeration, says accountants are well-positioned to translate pound notes into grams of carbon.
EY: one in four hedge fund managers plan to invest in crypto
  • Article
  • 01 Dec 2021
Both traditional and alternative investors plan to enter the cryptocurrency investing market over the next few years, according to an EY survey.
UK faces major ‘trade reset’ challenge
  • Article
  • 30 Nov 2021
The current friction in trade flows is more than a blip and a reset is urgently needed, warns Nigel Driffield, deputy pro vice chancellor of Warwick University.

Latest tax news

HMRC CT and VAT lines closing on Fridays in December
  • Article
  • 01 Dec 2021
HMRC is taking the extreme measure of closing the VAT and corporation tax helplines for three Fridays in December so it can reallocate staff to clearing backlogs of correspondence. ICAEW is concerned this demonstrates the seriousness of HMRC’s resourcing problems.
Tax administration and maintenance day: a Budget without a speech
  • Article
  • 01 Dec 2021
Simplifying the tax system, tackling non-compliance and ensuring the tax system remains fit for the modern world. This framed the consultations, calls for evidence and next steps announced on TAM day. ICAEW’s Tax Faculty highlights the key points.
HMRC to extend new VAT registration services
  • Article
  • 01 Dec 2021
HMRC is extending its new VAT registration service for companies to all traders by the end of the year and to agents in early 2022. ICAEW’s Tax Faculty explains what it knows at this stage.
HMRC’s power to issue joint and several liability notices explained
  • Article
  • 01 Dec 2021
HMRC can issue notices to transfer tax liabilities of companies and limited liability partnerships to directors, shadow directors and other individuals connected with managing the business

When Chartered Accountants Save the World

The world is changing – and so is the role of chartered accountants. Our major new content series explores how chartered accountants are helping to tackle some of the most urgent social challenges within the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and considers how the profession could do even more in the future. Are you ready?

Two business professionals walking side by side
It’s time for chartered accountants to save the world
  • Video
  • 30 Apr 2021
Chartered accountants must understand their unique role in making a sustainable future happen, argues Peter Bakker, CEO of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.
Adair Turner
Adair Turner: The mistakes we’ve made on climate, and where to focus now
  • Video
  • 11 Nov 2021
The inaugural chair of the Climate Change Committee explains how the climate crisis breaks down into two distinct problems and discusses our chances of resolving them.
Presenters of Thinking differently video
Jonathan Trott talks about thinking differently and neurodiversity
  • Article
  • 26 Jul 2021
We speak to the ex-England cricketer, Professor Amanda Kirby and ICAEW’s Richard Spencer about what chartered accountants can do to support neurodiverse teams.
Work careers
5 ways that the crisis in trust in data will change the role of chartered accountants
  • Article
  • 27 May 2021
In the future, chartered accountants will have an increasingly vital role to play in ensuring that societies across the world have access to reliable, fact-based information.

COP26: acting together on climate

A road stretching over turquoise water
What does the Paris Agreement mean for the profession?
  • Article
  • 03 Nov 2021
Whether your contribution to the Paris goals is as a preparer, auditor or investor, should your role be limited to carbon reduction alone, or should it be extended to wider sustainability issues?
A person grocery shopping in a plastic-free shop
New sustainability standards board targets globally comparable reporting
  • Article
  • 03 Nov 2021
Moves to provide global financial markets with high-quality disclosures on climate and other sustainability issues moved a step forward after the IFRS Foundation formally announced the formation of the International Sustainability Standards Board.
An electric car charging in a car park
KPMG outlines ‘ESG watermark’ ambitions
  • Article
  • 01 Nov 2021
Richard Threlfall, global head of KPMG Impact, tells ICAEW Insights about the firm’s plans to transform itself and stamp its mark on the ESG market.
A still-frame from the video, showing a plane taking off.
The vital role our profession must play in reaching net zero
  • Video
  • 18 Oct 2021
Andrew Griffith, MP is a chartered accountant and the UK’s Net Zero Business Champion. He explains how we get to net zero carbon emissions by mid century and how it won’t happen without the support of chartered accountants

Insights specials

A listing of one-off Insights specials that focus on a particular subject, interviewing the key people, identifying developing trends and examining the underlying issues.

Less Complex Entities
  • 01 Dec 2021
In a response to increasingly complex auditing standards, the International Audit and Assurance Standards Board is attempting to create an auditing standard for Less Complex Entities. We track its progress.
Finance for the Future excellence
  • 24 Nov 2021
The Finance for the Future awards recognise and showcase high-quality examples of financial leadership. They're also about inspiring others, boosting ambition and building community by sharing knowledge and creating momentum for real change.
Non-financial reporting: where are we headed?
  • 19 Oct 2021
The landscape for non-financial reporting is evolving at a pace with further expected changes on the horizon. What are the challenges that companies face when it comes to non-financial reports, where can improvements be made, and what does the future hold?
COP26 and climate
  • 23 Sep 2021
Find inspiration, information and practical resources to support the goals of the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow and explore why it represents a critical time for the profession.

Top videos

Displaying 1-4 of 4 results
The vital role our profession must play in reaching net zero
The vital role our profession must play in reaching net zero
  • Video
Andrew Griffith FCA, MP is the UK’s Net Zero Business Champion. He discusses the core role the profession has to play in helping all of us reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 or sooner.
Thinking differently: what are the benefits of neurodiversity in your organisation?
Thinking differently: what are the benefits of neurodiversity in your organisation?
  • Video
We explore how teams of all kinds benefit by including people who think differently, taking cricket as an example. We then examine how chartered accountants can encourage neurodiverse thinking and engage people with neurodivergent conditions in their own or their clients’ organisations, as part of wider efforts to support diversity and inclusion.
What The Dasgupta Review means for Business and Accountancy
What The Dasgupta Review means for Business and Accountancy
  • Video
Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta sat down with ICAEW to talk about his review into the economics of biodiversity and his hopes for the future.
The financial controller who stole £20,000: 4 lessons to help you stop internal fraud
The financial controller who stole £20,000: 4 lessons to help you stop internal fraud
  • Video
The real case of a financial controller who attempted to steal £20,000 from her business, and the steps that chartered accountants can take to help prevent internal fraud from happening in their organisation. Chartered accountants need to be alert to potential signs of fraud and manipulation of accounting records. We examine a real case of a business that discovered it had been the victim of internal fraud.
Displaying 1-4 of 4 results

The opinions expressed by external guest speakers in interviews or other publications included on this website are, by their nature, those of the speaker. They are not necessarily fully endorsed by the ICAEW or purport to reflect the official policies and views of the ICAEW or its members.

Top podcast episodes

What next after COP26?
  • Podcast
  • 29 Nov 2021
As the dust settles on the COP26 discussions in Glasgow, it’s time to assess and reflect on what was – and wasn’t – achieved.
SME recovery, sustainability standards and cryptoassets nudge
  • Podcast
  • 18 Nov 2021
In this ICAEW Insights podcast we’re joined by the Small Business Minister to discuss recovery, productivity and sustainability, examine the newly formed ISSB, and assess HMRC’s CGT nudge for cryptoasset owners.
Prizing the public pound
  • Podcast
  • 27 Oct 2021
With increasing pressure on public services and net-zero targets to be met, it’s critical that any public spending delivers value to the taxpayer. The Fabian Society outlines its vision in its recent pamphlet.
Autumn Budget and Spending Review: turbocharge or temperance?
  • Podcast
  • 20 Oct 2021
In this special edition of the Insights podcast, we’re joined by experts from across ICAEW’s tax and public sector team to preview the government’s Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021.

Top charts of the week

Chart of the week: Germany
  • Article
  • 25 Nov 2021
Our chart this week is on Germany, where a new ‘traffic light’ coalition government headed by Chancellor-designate Olaf Scholtz is poised to take charge of Europe’s most prosperous nation.
Chart of the week: Consumer Prices Index
  • Article
  • 18 Nov 2021
Our chart this week looks at how price rises have accelerated over the last few months, with consumer price inflation reaching 4.2% in October, the highest it has been for a decade.
Chart of the week: US Infrastructure & Jobs Act
  • Article
  • 11 Nov 2021
Our chart this week looks at the $550bn of incremental funding over five years allocated by the US Infrastructure & Jobs Act just passed by Congress.
Chart of the week: Spending Review 2021
  • Article
  • 28 Oct 2021
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak found some extra money to supplement the Spending Review 2021, turning a very tough settlement for government departments into a moderately tough one.

Insights by topic

CEO and President's insights
  • Listing
  • 03 Aug 2020
View an archive of blogs from ICAEW CEO, Michael Izza, and from past ICAEW presidents.
COP26 and climate
  • Hub page
  • 23 Sep 2021
Find inspiration, information and practical resources to support the goals of the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow and explore why it represents a critical time for the profession.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) hub Coronavirus is not just a world health emergency; it is an economic one too. The economic impacts are plain to see and emergency provisions are being made worldwide in an attempt to support individuals, business and anyone who advises them. ICAEW is monitoring the situation closely and collating resources as conditions unfold.
Brexit – impact on ICAEW members ICAEW's Brexit hub highlights a range of resources to help you prepare for the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020. ICAEW is working to ensure that business and the profession is able to work as seamlessly as possible in the public interest across Europe and beyond.
COVID-19: global recovery Recovery from the worldwide economic crisis brought about by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic will be piece-meal but informed by initiatives from around the world. While national government schemes will continue to support business and practice during the immediate crisis, international action will help shape the recovery. Here we track those regional, national and supra-national activities.
Student Insights Interviews, guides and features giving you fresh insights, innovative ideas and an inside look at the lives and careers of ICAEW students and members. No matter what stage you’re at in your journey with us, you’ll find content to suit you.
Regulation ICAEW protects the public interest by making sure our firms, members, students and affiliates maintain the highest standards of professional competency and conduct.
Sponsored content Hear what our partners are saying on topical issues impacting the accountancy profession.

Daily newsletter

Sign up for our newsletter to receive daily insights on the key issues impacting the profession today.

Sign up now
baloon