The International Standards: 2025 MENA Insights Snapshot presents a regional overview of progress toward the adoption and implementation of international standards across audit, ethics, education, and public and private sector financial reporting, as well as the adoption and implementation of quality assurance systems and investigation and discipline mechanisms. The findings reflect both momentum in adoption progress while at the same time, identifying persistent barriers that are challenging the pace and depth of progress across the region.

IFAC welcomes the opportunity to comment on the consultation paper of the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) on narrow scope amendments to the International Standards for Quality Management (ISQMs) and International Standards on Auditing (ISAs) for the IAASB Public Interest Entity (PIE) Track 2 Project

In the face of global economic volatility, technological disruption, and climate and sustainability pressures, professional accountants in business (PAIBs) are playing critical strategic roles in building trust, enabling resilient organizations, and delivering long-term value creation.  

At our PAIB Advisory Group meeting hosted by the Japanese Institute of Certified Public Accountants (JICPA) in Tokyo, we convened a diverse group of PAIBs for a strategic discussion on how PAIBs are shaping the future of business and the public sector. With deep expertise, on-the-ground experience in leading organizations, and global reach across more than 20+jurisdictions, our global advisory group provides a unique and practical lens into how organizations navigate complexity, and the evolving priorities for our profession.

A new article from PAIB Advisory Group Chair Sanjay Rughani incorporates multiple insights and resources from the meeting into four actions that can redefine our profession’s role at the forefront of transformation: 

• Reframe the profession’s identity and value; 
• Leverage AI to lead, not follow; 
• Embrace modern talent models; and 
• Grow PAIB membership. 

Relevant to our members’ efforts in shaping the profession’s future, the article highlights how professional accountants are not only supporting business performance but actively shaping it, guiding strategic shifts through integrated thinking and sustainability leadership, integrating AI into finance and business processes to boost productivity and embedding risk culture to better navigate uncertainty. These insights are grounded in real-world examples, including transformations underway at Fujitsu, the UK Civil Service, and evolving roles for PAIBs across IPO markets in Japan, India, and the US. 

Share this resource to spark discussions and strategies, supporting your members in their various business and public sector roles.   

Read Shaping Business and Performance: Key Insights from the PAIB Advisory Group’s Meeting in Tokyo. 

About IFAC  
IFAC, by connecting and uniting its members, makes the accountancy profession truly global.    

IFAC member organizations are champions of integrity and professional quality, and proudly carry their membership as a badge of international recognition.    

IFAC and its members work together to shape the future of the profession through learning, innovation, a collective voice, and commitment to the public interest.    

About IFAC’s PAIB Advisory Group 
Formed in 1977, the PAIB Advisory Group is comprised of volunteers with experience and expertise in the world of business and the public sector, nominated by the professional accountancy organizations that make up IFAC’s membership.   

By bringing these experts together, IFAC delivers thought leadership, fosters collaboration, and equips its member organizations with tools and strategies to support their members in navigating complex, evolving business landscapes. 

IFAC welcomes the opportunity to comment on the IESBA’s consultation paper for auditor independence considerations for collective investment vehicles (CIVs) and pension funds.

As the global voice of the accountancy profession, IFAC connects and unites more than 180 professional accountancy organizations in 142 jurisdictions. IFAC’s members are champions of integrity and professional quality and are committed to the public interest.

Les investissements dans les crédits carbone devraient normalement augmenter de pair avec le progrès des technologies propres, la protection et la restauration de la nature, et la réduction des émissions de gaz à effet de serre. Pourtant, la croissance des marchés volontaires du carbone (MVC) peine à garder le rythme.

While investments in carbon credits have significant potential to boost advancement in clean technology, protect and restore nature, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the burgeoning voluntary carbon market (VCM) has experienced growing pains. Critics and proponents alike have raised concerns about the quality of carbon credits, the integrity of stated emissions reductions and verification, and the appropriate role of credits in corporate net zero planning. The future of the market depends on improving its integrity, and professional accountants can play an important role.