A significant proportion of corporate governance practitioners are unsure whether the UK’s system of corporate governance is fit for purpose according to research from ICSA: The Governance Institute and recruitment specialist Core Partnership

The Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) and ACCA are leading calls for a rethink on government policy on apprenticeships, after a poll of MPs found almost half (46%) believe the target of three million apprenticeships set up over the course of parliament ignores the importance of both quality and completion rate and should be modified

Ratings for the Big Four accounting firms have dipped in this year’s global survey of the most valuable brands, which sees Google replace Apple as the world’s top brand, with a value of $109.5bn (£86.7bn)

Professional development news roundup including Duff & Phelps under fire over BHS, Grant Thornton investments hit profit, Johnston Carmichael results

Profitability is being squeezed at accounting firms despite seven years of sustained growth at the Top 75 accounting firms in the UK. Sara White, editor of Accountancy on the trends to watch and prospects for the profession

Aspiring finance leaders need to go beyond traditional number crunching and develop new skills if they want to take on the chief financial officer (CFO) role in the future, according to an EY global survey of 769 finance chiefs

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is to publish guidance to help large businesses report on how quickly they pay their suppliers, ahead of measures coming into force in April 2017 to boost transparency of payment practices to help small and medium sized businesses (SMEs)

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has fined Deutsche Bank a record £163m for serious failings in its anti-money laundering (AML) controls over a so-called ‘mirror trading’ scheme between its London, New York and Moscow offices which shifted $10bn from Russia to offshore bank accounts in a manner highly suggestive of financial crime

More than 275,000 companies were showing signs of ‘significant’ financial distress at the close of 2016, representing the thirteenth consecutive quarter that corporate stress has risen on a year on year basis, according research from Begbies Traynor

Smith & Williamson has reported a return to 2015-level performance in the group’s operating income and adjusted operating profit during the six months to 31 October 2016, underpinned by growth in its investment management and banking division as well as its tax and business services division

UK audit firms are at the forefront of developing and using data analytic techniques which have the potential to improve audit quality, but need to adopt a more structured approach to deployment to ensure they are effective, according to a review carried out by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC)

Combined revenues of participant firms in the Praxity Global Alliance hit a record high of $4.75bn (£3.79bn) for the year ended 31 December 2016, a year on year increase of 7.8% at constant exchange rates, and the tenth consecutive year of growth