PCAOB Amps Up Audit Reviews

The SEC has announced the creation of a new enforcement team focused on auditing-related misconduct, signaling heightened scrutiny of auditors and potential SOX violations.

The SEC Staff has issued new guidance addressing fair value measurement and disclosure practices for private credit and other illiquid assets held by registered funds and business development companies. As private credit portfolios have grown nearly 60% since 2020, reaching $270 billion, regulators emphasize the critical importance of robust valuation methodologies, transparent disclosure of significant judgments, and careful application of accounting standards when market prices are unavailable.

The CAS Board has raised contract thresholds to $35 million and eliminated CAS 407, fundamentally changing cost accounting requirements for federal contractors. At the same time, the Department of War is demanding unprecedented cost and pricing transparency through new memoranda requiring actual cost information for negotiations valued at $10 million or more, creating a complex landscape where contractors face fewer formal CAS requirements but heightened scrutiny of their pricing data.

In a July 23, 2026 Memorandum, President Trump announced the final tariff rates for the 60 countries included in USTR’s Section 301 investigation into those countries’ efforts to prohibit importation of goods made with forced labor

The US National Association of Insurance Commissioners' Statutory Accounting Principles Working Group convened in August 2026 to address critical reforms to the Interest Maintenance Reserve framework...

On August 18, 2026, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued a proposed accounting standards update (“ASU”) titled Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Cash Equivalents—Disclosure Enhancement and Evaluation of Certain Digital Assets. The proposed ASU seeks to clarify whether certain digital assets meet the definition of “cash equivalents” on the balance sheet, and to increase the transparency of the significant components of “cash equivalents.”

Finance teams face critical implementation challenges as new GAAP amendments take effect for 2026, requiring immediate attention to accounting policies, documentation standards, and system readiness. Are your financial reporting processes prepared to handle expanded disclosure requirements, CECL practical expedients, and internal-use software accounting changes before year-end audit fieldwork begins?

An HHS Office of Inspector General audit of Methodist Hospital in San Antonio reveals how a review of just 100 claims led to a $12.4 million overpayment recommendation through statistical extrapolation. The audit targeted specific high-risk billing areas including Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility claims, certain diagnosis-related groups, and outpatient billing patterns, uncovering documentation and coding compliance issues that hospital leadership should examine within their own Medicare claims.

“Can I safely hire this self-employed person?” This has been a frequent client question in recent years.

The SEC has established a new Financial Reporting and Accounting Unit within its Division of Enforcement, consolidating nationwide resources to investigate public company accounting and financial reporting issues. This organizational shift signals heightened scrutiny of complex accounting matters, non-GAAP measures, and disclosure practices.

This collection showcases Ankura's latest insights spanning cryptocurrency enforcement, parcel shipping costs, sanctions compliance, cybersecurity threats, mortgage industry dynamics, healthcare labor challenges, AI governance in financial services, and business transformation strategies. Each piece examines critical operational and regulatory challenges facing organizations across multiple sectors, offering strategic perspectives on navigating complex business environments.

This collection of insights from Ankura explores critical challenges facing multiple industries in 2026, from cybersecurity threats targeting AI assistants to the evolving landscape of freight capacity, cryptocurrency enforcement, and healthcare compliance. The articles examine how organizations navigate regulatory complexity, operational constraints, and emerging risks across financial services, logistics, healthcare, and technology sectors.

In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a broad and unprecedented range of sanctions were imposed on Russia by various countries and international bodies to target the Russian...

Independent special committee investigations are gaining prominence in bankruptcy and restructuring as stakeholders demand greater transparency and accountability. Organizations are leveraging AI and data analytics to transform business intelligence into actionable decision intelligence, while navigating complex regulatory landscapes from stablecoin certification to third-party distribution risks.

Challenger banks have achieved a great deal of success since they burst on the scene in a big way a decade or so ago to vie with traditional retail banks for a share of the market.

From AI-driven phishing toolkits and hidden malware in trusted software to the operational realities of cyber incident response, this collection examines the evolving threat landscape facing organizations today.

Explore critical insights on healthcare compliance, cryptocurrency regulation, supply chain risk, sanctions enforcement, and cybersecurity threats. Discover how operational models, regulatory frameworks...

Ankura's latest insights explore how organizations can transform data and analytics investments into actionable business value through decision intelligence, while addressing critical challenges in AI workforce readiness, cybersecurity threats, and regulatory compliance across multiple industries. The collection examines emerging opportunities in stablecoin regulation, healthcare data optimization, and procurement efficiency.

Ankura's latest insights explore critical developments across cybersecurity, supply chain disruption, healthcare compliance, and financial crime enforcement. From AI-driven malware threats and tariff-induced supply chain reconfigurations to evolving cryptocurrency sanctions enforcement and clinical trial participant support regulations, these analyses examine how organizations navigate operational, regulatory, and strategic challenges in an increasingly complex risk landscape.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer the Wild West — it is rapidly becoming one of the most regulated technological domains globally.