• O programa final anunciado com o investimento de private equity nas firmas de auditoria e contabilidadee em destaque.
• As conferências principais contarão com Maria Luís Albuquerque (Comissária Europeia), Jean-Paul Servais (Presidente da IOSCO) e Joaquim Miranda Sarmento (Ministro de Estado e das Finanças de Portugal), acompanhados por mais de 20 líderes globais.
• Mais de 700 inscrições já foram confirmadas, representando 96 jurisdições em seis continentes, com mais de 250 participantes em Lisboa. As inscrições presenciais encontram-se encerradas, mas a participação virtual continua disponível.

O International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) anunciou hoje o programa final da sua Conferência inaugural de Ética e Independência, que terá lugar no dia 15 de setembro em Lisboa e online.

O programa ficou concluído com a confirmação dos oradores para o painel da tarde sobre o crescimento do investimento de Private Equity nas firmas de auditoria e contabilidade. O debate, moderado por Ken Siong, Diretor Sénior de Programas do IESBA, contará com Mark Babington, Diretor Executivo de Normas Regulatórias no UK Financial Reporting Council e Membro do Board do IESBA; Liam Boyle, Chief Risk Officer da Teneo; e Wendy Russel, Head of Audit da Grant Thornton UK.

Este será um dos seis debates temáticos que abordarão os principais desenvolvimentos que estão a moldar a profissão e os serviços financeiros. Entre estes incluem-se também os impactos das alterações regulatórias e da disrupção tecnológica e da inteligência artificial, cultura e governação nas empresas de auditoria e contabilidade, desenvolvimentos relacionados com a informação de sustentabilidade, ética em planeamento fiscal e o papel dos profissionais de contabilidade e auditoria no combate ao crime financeiro.

Os oradores principais incluem Maria Luís Albuquerque, Comissária Europeia para os Serviços Financeiros e para a União da Poupança e dos Investimentos, Jean-Paul Servais, Presidente da IOSCO, e Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, Ministro de Estado e das Finanças de Portugal. Juntam-se a um prestigiado painel com mais de 20 especialistas e líderes internacionais.

Mais de 700 participantes já se inscreveram, representando 96 jurisdições em seis continentes, com mais de 250 inscritos para assistir em Lisboa. Embora as inscrições presenciais estejam encerradas, a participação virtual permanece disponível.

O programa completo e os detalhes de inscrição podem ser consultados em www.ethicsboard.org/iesba-conference-2025.

Num momento em que a pressão regulatória evolui e a inovação acelera, a conferência oferece uma oportunidade para explorar o papel das práticas éticas e regras de independência  no reforço da competitividade, resiliência e confiança dos cidadãos e investidores nos setores da contabilidade e auditoria, nos mercados financeiros e na economia.

Esta  é a primeira conferência internacional dedicada à ética e à independência em serviços financeiros organizada pelo IESBA, refletindo o compromisso do Board com a promoção do diálogo com os seus stakeholders a nível internacional. Igualmente, visa contribuir para a adoção dos seus standards, consagrados no seu código internacional de ética de independência — um benchmark já adotado, utilizado ou usado como referência em mais de 130 jurisdições em todo o mundo.

A Conferência IESBA 2025 marca também o início da reunião do board do IESBA de setembro, que terá lugar em Lisboa, no campus do ISEG – Lisbon School of Economics and Management.

O evento conta com o apoio generoso do ISEG – Lisbon School of Economics and Management, bem como das duas organizações profissionais portuguesas do setor: a OCC – Ordem dos Contabilistas Certificados e a OROC – Ordem dos Revisores Oficiais de Contas.

Estes apoios são críticos para permitir a realização da conferência em Lisboa, evidenciando a associação destas organizações ao propósito desta iniciativa do IESBA de dinamização do diálogo internacional, ao mais alto nível, sobre temas de grande atualidade para o setor da contabilidade e auditoria, os mercados financeiros e a economia.

Sobre o IESBA

O International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) é um organismo independente de definição de normas internacionais. A sua missão é servir o interesse público através da definição de standards éticos internacionais de elevada qualidade (incluindo normas sobre independência), como base para o comportamento ético nos negócios e nas organizações, e para a confiança pública na informação financeira e não financeira — essencial ao funcionamento e sustentabilidade das organizações, dos mercados financeiros e das economias a nível global.

Juntamente com o International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB), o IESBA integra a International Foundation for Ethics and Audit (IFEA). As atividades do IESBA e do IAASB, bem como a adequação dos seus standards ao interesse público, são supervisionadas pelo Public Interest Oversight Board (PIOB).

Contactos para a Imprensa:

Rui Peres Jorge 

Director de Comunicação Estratégica 

International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) 

ruiperesjorge@ethicsboard.org | Directo: +351 966-301-383

David Johnson 

Assessor Sénior de Comunicação

IESBA Communications

davidjohnson@ethicsboard.org | Directo: +1 (212) 471-8732

Rita Dimas

Consultora de Comunicação

Dédalo

ritadimas@dedalo.pt| Directo: +351 937-675-656

• Final program announced with Private Equity in Accounting under the spotlight, alongside panels on regulatory shifts, market transparency, firm culture, technology & AI, and financial crime.
• Keynotes feature Maria Luís Albuquerque (European Commissioner), Jean-Paul Servais (IOSCO Chair), and Joaquim Miranda Sarmento (Portugal’s Finance Minister), joined by more than 20 global leaders.
• Over 700 registrants confirmed from nearly 96 jurisdictions across six continents, including more than 250 in Lisbon. In-person registration closed; virtual participation still open.

The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) today unveiled the final program for its inaugural Ethics and Independence Conference, taking place on September 15 in Lisbon and online.

The program is complete, with the confirmation of speakers for the afternoon panel on the rise of private equity in accounting firms. The discussion, moderated by Ken Siong, IESBA Program and Senior Director, will feature Mark Babington, Executive Director of Regulatory Standards at the UK Financial Reporting Council and IESBA Board Member; Liam Boyle, Chief Risk Officer at Teneo; and Wendy Russel, Head of Audit at Grant Thornton UK.

This will be one of six targeted discussions covering key developments shaping the accounting services sector and financial markets. Panels will address regulatory shifts and their impact on accounting and capital markets, sustainability reporting, firm culture and governance, ethical tax planning, the accountant’s role in combatting financial crime, and the ethical implications of technological disruption and AI.

Keynote speakers include Maria Luís Albuquerque, European Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union, Jean-Paul Servais, Chair of IOSCO, and Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, Portugal’s Minister of State and Finance. They join a distinguished line-up of more than 20 global experts and leaders.

More than 700 participants have registered, representing 96 jurisdictions across six continents, with over 250 registered to attend in Lisbon. While in-person registration is now closed, virtual participation remains available.

The full program and registration details can be found at www.ethicsboard.org/iesba-conference-2025.

As regulatory pressures intensify and innovation accelerates, the conference offers a timely platform to explore how ethics and independence can strengthen competitiveness, resilience, and public confidence in business, the accounting profession, and global financial markets.

This event marks IESBA’s first global conference on ethics and independence, reflecting the Board’s commitment to engaging with stakeholders worldwide and promoting the International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards), a benchmark adopted or referenced in over 130 jurisdictions globally.

The conference also marks the beginning of the September 2025 IESBA Board Meeting, which will take place at the ISEG – Lisbon School of Economics and Management.

The event is made possible with the support of ISEG, as well as Portugal’s two professional accountancy organizations: OCC – Ordem dos Contabilistas Certificados and OROC – Ordem dos Revisores Oficiais de Contas.

Their support was critical to hosting the conference in Lisbon and reflects their alignment with IESBA’s mission to foster international dialogue on timely and pressing issues for the profession, financial markets, and the wider economy.

About IESBA

The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) is an independent global standard-setting board. The IESBA’s mission is to serve the public interest by setting high-quality, international ethics (including independence) standards as a cornerstone to ethical behavior in business and organizations, and to public trust in financial and non-financial information that is fundamental to the proper functioning and sustainability of organizations, financial markets and economies worldwide.

Along with the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB), the IESBA is part of the International Foundation for Ethics and Audit (IFEA). The Public Interest Oversight Board (PIOB) oversees IESBA and IAASB activities and the public interest responsiveness of the standards.

Media Contacts:

Rui Peres Jorge

Director of Strategic Communications

International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA)

ruiperesjorge@ethicsboard.org | Direct: +351 966-301-383

David Johnson

Senior Manager

IESBA Communications

davidjohnson@ethicsboard.org | Direct: +1 (212) 471-8732

In this short video, IESBA Program and Senior Director Ken Siong offers a brief preview of the key topics and discussions that will shape the agenda for the IESBA Board's June meeting.

In this short video, IESBA Program and Senior Director Ken Siong offers a brief preview of the key topics and discussions that will shape the agenda for the IESBA Board's March meeting.

The IESBA has released a short explainer video featuring Anna, an assurance practitioner committed to upholding high ethical standards. The video introduces the International Ethics Standards for Sustainability Assurance (IESSA) and illustrates how these standards guide assurance practitioners in identifying and addressing ethical threats, thereby reinforcing trust in sustainability-related disclosures.

This video is part of a broader explainer series developed to support the effective implementation of the IESSA and promote awareness of the role of ethics in sustainability assurance.

The IESBA has released a short explainer video spotlighting Alex, a sustainability reporting professional navigating real-world ethical challenges. The video demonstrates how the International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards) equips reporting professionals to uphold integrity, transparency, and independence amid increasing demands in the sustainability reporting landscape.

This video is part of a broader explainer series designed to support the effective implementation of the International Ethics Standards for Sustainability Assurance (IESSA) and related revisions to the Code promote awareness of the role of ethics in sustainability-related services.

The IESBA has released a short explainer video featuring Alex, a reporting professional, and Anna, an assurance practitioner. The video illustrates how IESBA’s International Ethics Standards for Sustainability Assurance (IESSA) serve as a critical guide for both reporting and assurance professionals in identifying and responding to potential threats to ethics and independence.

This video is part of a broader explainer series aimed at supporting the effective implementation of the IESSA and raising awareness of the importance of ethics in sustainability-related services.

In an IESBA "Message from the Chair", IESBA Chair Gabriela Figueiredo Dias discusses the key points of the June 2025 IESBA Meeting in New York City.

• Private equity (PE) investment in accounting firms has grown significantly over the past five years in a number of major jurisdictions
• Private equity investment in accounting firms may trigger ethical and independence implications as a result of related structural, strategic and operational changes to a firm
• Staff Alert aims to raise awareness and foster understanding of key ethical and independence matters for accounting firm leadership to consider, both pre- and post-PE investment

A Staff Alert highlighting key ethical matters that accounting firms should pay particular attention to when considering or accepting investment from PE organizations has today been issued by the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA).

Titled  “Private Equity Investment in Accounting Firms: Key Ethics and Independence Considerations”, the Staff Alert draws the attention of professional accountants in public practice, particularly accounting firm leadership, to important ethics and independence provisions in the International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards) (the Code) that remain applicable both before and after PE investment in an accounting firm. The Staff Alert highlights various possible ethical and independence implications arising from PE investment in accounting firms.

These include:

• From an ethics perspective:
  • threats to compliance with some of the Code’s fundamental principles, such as confidentiality;
  • shifts in a firm’s ethical culture resulting from organizational restructurings, different incentives and evolving growth expectations that may undermine ethical obligations; or
  •  undue pressure to act unethically in pursuit of new revenue goals.
• From an independence perspective:
  • concerns arising from a PE organization holding a controlling interest in the firm while also having a financial interest in the firm’s audit clients;
  • the inclusion of new entities as network firms and the complexities in identifying them, and potential related independence threats, if the firm becomes part of a larger, evolving post-investment structure; or
  • situations where individuals in the PE organization’s management could fall within the Code’s “audit team” concept and the applicable independence framework.

The Staff Alert emphasizes the importance of firms maintaining ongoing monitoring for changes in clients, services, business and network relationships, and other relevant factors with potential ethics and independence implications, both during the pre-investment phase and after completion of the PE transaction, and continuing to act in the public interest.

It also underscores in the context of PE investment that compliance with the Code by firms enhances the quality and consistency of the services they provide and underpins public trust and confidence in their work.

Besides accounting firms, this publication may also be of interest to regulators and audit oversight bodies, jurisdictional standard setters (JSS), private equity entities and other investors, professional accountancy organizations (PAOs), and others with an interest or role in the work of accounting firms.

The development of the Staff Alert has been informed by the IESBA’s ongoing engagement with various stakeholders, including accounting firms, private equity organizations, regulators and oversight bodies, JSS, and PAOs.

About IESBA

The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) is an independent global standard-setting board. The IESBA’s mission is to serve the public interest by setting high-quality, international ethics (including independence) standards as a cornerstone to ethical behavior in business and organizations, and to public trust in financial and non-financial information that is fundamental to the proper functioning and sustainability of organizations, financial markets and economies worldwide.

Along with the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB), the IESBA is part of the International Foundation for Ethics and Audit (IFEA). The Public Interest Oversight Board (PIOB) oversees IESBA and IAASB activities and the public interest responsiveness of the standards.

Media Contacts:
 
Rui Peres Jorge 
Director of Strategic Communications 
International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) 
ruiperesjorge@ethicsboard.org | Direct: +351 966-301-383

David Johnson 
Senior Manager
IESBA Communications
davidjohnson@ethicsboard.org | Direct: +1 (212) 471-8732