The purpose of accounting and finance professionals depends on maintaining trust, and this commitment must now extend as much to sustainability data as it always has to financials.
The European Sustainability Reporting Standards featured in the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive now take effect in 2026 for non-EU companies.
Insufficient funding for climate action can be an obstacle for small and medium-size enterprises, but the commitment worldwide to find a way continues to grow.
Also, the UKEB seeks UK stakeholders’ views on a recent exposure draft from the IASB, and the EU’s new “due diligence” rules address firms’ impacts on human rights and the environment.
As sustainability stewards, finance professionals can lead the shift to a “systems value perspective”, which first requires assessing a business’s ESG maturity.
The Securities and Exchange Commission rule applies to listed companies and foreign private issuers. Also, the FRC issued Corporate Governance Code guidance.
The IFRS Foundation’s Partnership Framework and Knowledge Hub are collaborative initiatives designed to help jurisdictions adopt the new global baseline for sustainability reporting.
Recent regulations pave the way to more consolidated reporting in the UK, but the percentage of assurance performed by accountants remains below average.
