Meetings

2021 IFIAR Plenary Meeting

(April 19-21, 2021)

Delegates from 54 independent audit regulators met virtually for IFIAR’s annual Plenary meeting. For more information on this meeting, please see the 2021 IFIAR Plenary Meeting Press Release here.

2021 IFIAR Plenary Meeting

The 2021 IFIAR Plenary Meeting took place virtually on April 19-21, 2021. This was the first time the Plenary Meeting has been delivered entirely online, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The theme for the Plenary Meeting focused on the Management of Audit Quality in the COVID Environment and Beyond, during which Members and other key stakeholder representatives addressed the role audit regulators play in promoting high quality auditing in a series of presentations and panel discussions.

2020 IFIAR Plenary Meeting – cancelled

On February 27, 2020, the IFIAR Board made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 IFIAR Plenary Meeting in response to the COVID-19 virus situation globally. Additionally, all other in-person IFIAR meetings in March and April were either cancelled or postponed. IFIAR took the view that the prudent approach, in line with many other organizations, was to take this action for the health and safety of all attendees.

2019 IFIAR Plenary Meeting

(April 30 – May 2, 2019)

Delegates from nearly 50 independent audit regulators met in Rhodes (Greece) to focus on issues related to improving audit quality. For more information on this meeting, please see the 2019 IFIAR Plenary Meeting Press Release here.

2019 IFIAR Plenary Meeting

The 2019 IFIAR Plenary Meeting – The Evolving World of Audit took place on April 30 – May 2 in Rhodes, Greece. The 2019 Plenary Meeting provided an opportunity for Members to engage on some of the most important matters in the world of audit. The future of audit is being shaped today – be it fundamental changes to what is being audited, how the GPPC firms are structured, or how they compete. This took the theme of the 2019 Plenary Meeting, which looked in detail on these and other important matters.

2018 IFIAR Plenary Meeting

(April 16-19, 2018)

Delegates from nearly 50 independent audit regulators met in Ottawa (Canada) to focus on issues related to improving audit quality. For more information on this meeting, please see the 2018 IFIAR Plenary Meeting Press Release here.

2018 IFIAR Plenary Meeting Breakout Sessions
As in previous years, IFIAR included breakout sessions in its 2018 Plenary Meeting agenda. A key part of this year’s breakout sessions was to discuss regulatory innovations in audit oversight and the impact – potential and realized – of disruptive technologies on audit as well as experiences with the new extended audit report. Three distinct breakout sessions were organized, including a session where the network firms demonstrated how they use their latest digital tools in the course of their audits.

These breakout sessions were designed to maximize not only the topics discussed at the Plenary Meeting, but also the quality of those discussions. An aim of breakout sessions is to facilitate active participation in discussions of important topics, furthering the goal of sharing knowledge and promoting collaboration amongst Members.

2017 IFIAR Plenary Meeting

(April 4-6, 2017)

Delegates from nearly 50 independent audit regulators met in Tokyo (Japan) to focus on issues related to improving audit quality. For more information on this meeting, please see the 2017 IFIAR Plenary Meeting Press Release here.

2017 IFIAR Plenary Meeting Breakout Session Overviews
As in previous years, IFIAR included breakout sessions in its 2017 Plenary Meeting agenda. These breakout sessions were designed to maximize not only the topics discussed at Plenary Meetings, but also the quality of those discussions. An aim of breakout sessions is to facilitate active participation in discussions of important topics, furthering the goal of sharing knowledge and promoting collaboration amongst Members.

Project Management and Audit Quality Indicators
During this session panelists talked about the global initiatives of the six largest international audit networks in the areas of project management and audit quality indicators. The summary of the session can be found here.

Topics the Advisory Group to the IOSWG would like to advise on
This breakout session provided an interactive platform in which the members of the Advisory Group presented and discussed a variety of topics of interest for IFIAR and which are important to investors and other stakeholders. The summary of the session can be found here.

2016 IFIAR Plenary Meeting

(April 19-21, 2016)

Delegates from nearly 50 independent audit regulators met in London (United Kingdom) to focus on issues related to improving audit quality. For more information on this meeting, please see the 2016 IFIAR Plenary Meeting Press Release.

2016 IFIAR Plenary Meeting Breakout Session Overviews

Future of Audit: Big Data and Artificial Analysis
Panelists and audience discussed the concept of big data analytics and the implications of its increased use for the audit profession and audit oversight. The summary of the session can be found here.

Innovation in Audit Oversight
In this session delegates from IFIAR Members shared their experiences with innovation in oversight. The summary of the session can be found here.

Extended Auditor Reporting
A delegate from the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) shared the UK experience with extended auditor reporting. The summary of the session can be found here.

2015 Plenary Meeting
(April 21-23, 2015)

Delegates from nearly 40 independent audit regulators met in Taipei (Chinese Taipei) to focus on issues related to improving audit quality. For more information on this meeting, please see the 2015 IFIAR Plenary Meeting Press Release.

2015 IFIAR Plenary Meeting Breakout Session Overviews

At the 2015 IFIAR Plenary Meeting, IFIAR included breakout sessions in its meeting agenda. These breakout sessions were designed to maximize not only the topics discussed at plenary meetings, but also the quality of those discussions. An aim of breakout sessions is to facilitate active participation in discussions of important topics, furthering the goal of sharing knowledge and promoting collaboration amongst Members.

Audit Firms’ Business Strategy
The session discussed the impact of technology on auditing and aligning incentives for audit quality. The session also included a discussion on how audit firms are marketing new services and on the role of audit committees. The summary of the session can be found here.

Competition & Human Resources
The panelists provided their views on competition between audit firms, how to attract talent and manage human resources. The summary of the session can be found here.

Governance and Professional Skepticism
In this session the panel focused on the role of (corporate) governance in enhancing global audit quality. The summary of the session can be found
here.

2014 Plenary Meeting
(April 7-9, 2014)

Delegates from over 40 independent audit regulators met in Washington, DC to focus on issues related to improving audit quality. For more information on the meeting please see the 2014 IFIAR Plenary Meeting Press Release and the 2014 IFIAR Plenary Meeting Fact Sheet.

2014 IFIAR Plenary Meeting Breakout Session Overviews

At the 2014 IFIAR Plenary Meeting, IFIAR for the first time included breakout sessions in its meeting agenda. These breakout sessions were designed to maximize not only the topics discussed at plenary meetings, but also the quality of those discussions. An aim of breakout sessions is to facilitate active participation in discussions of important topics, furthering the goal of sharing knowledge and promoting collaboration amongst Members.

Audit Quality Indicators
The session discussed some of the projects that regulators and other stakeholders from around the world are currently undertaking to develop a set of empirical standards to evaluate audit quality. The summary of the session can be found here.

Economic Model of the Audit Firms
This session included a discussion of how the network firms are structured in terms of human capital, financial resources, delivery of both audit and non-audit services and what economic pressures are affecting them. The panel focused on the recent developments in the model of the audit firm indicating a growing reliance on non-audit services for revenue generation. In addition, panelists and participants discussed whether the emerging economic model supports audit quality and how regulators might influence an improvement in audit quality. The summary of the session can be found here.

Risk Assessment
The panel focused on facilitating a discussion about identifying systemic and macroeconomic financial risk, with a view to understanding how broader risks may translate into audit risk and what role audit oversight regulators may play in monitoring and mitigating risk. The summary of the session can be found here.

IAASB / IESBA Standards
This panel provided an update on major projects being undertaken by these two international standard-setting boards. The summary of this session can be found here.

Regional and National Audit Policy Developments
Panelists provided an update on recent initiatives of regional audit regulators through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Audit Inspectors Group (EAIG). All participating IFIAR Members were invited to report on their efforts to enhance audit quality and any changes this has made in their approach to regulation. The summary of this session can be found here.

Update from Observers
IFIAR’s Observers – the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS), European Commission, Financial Stability Board, International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS), International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), Public Interest Oversight Board (PIOB), and World Bank – were provided an opportunity to give a brief update to Members about key initiatives. The summary of the session can be found here.

Session for Smaller Regulators
This panel provided a forum that focused on the challenges smaller regulators face and how some have responded to them. The summary of the session can be found here.