ACCA and MIA hold joint conference about future challenges for the accountancy profession
Current and future issues facing the accountancy profession will be the main focus at the annual joint conference organised by the ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) and the MIA (the Malta Institute of Accountants), on 3 July at the Xara Lodge, Rabat.
Current and future issues facing the accountancy profession will be the main focus at the annual joint conference organised by the ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) and the MIA (the Malta Institute of Accountants), on 3 July at the Xara Lodge, Rabat.
The agenda will examine a wide range of key topics from Brexit to International Financial Reporting Standards to taxation. A panel of experts will discuss in detail the logical and the practical sides of the Professional Scepticism approach. The session Professional Scepticism – Meeting Public Expectations focuses on the strate- gic application of the critical attitude.
Attendees will have the best opportunity to discover updates in IFRSs, including the implementation concerns of IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customer and IFRS 16 Leases. International Public Sector Accounting Standards and the changing methods in government accounting and reporting is another central theme at the conference.
The ACCA-MIA event will introduce participants to Forensic Accounting with a dedicated session zooming in on the examination of financial statements and the accounting, auditing and investigative skills employed. Future Challenges for professional accountants will look at the implications of Digitalisation in accountancy and how the profession is responding to technological disruption and innovation.
Marcel Coppini FCCA, chair of ACCA’s Malta Members’ Advisory Committee, comments: “This is an important event, with an engaging agenda that’s relevant to business and the public sector. We’ll explore together the detail of the work we do as accountants here in Malta but also on the global stage.”
Nick Jeffrey, ACCA’s regional head of policy for Europe and the Americas will participate in a panel discussing ethics and trust, and said: “This is so topical for the profession. It permeates every conversation about where the profession is headed, so I’m really looking forward to learning from my fellow panellists and hearing the input from our audience.”
Maria Cauchi Delia, the MIA’s CEO said that: “It’s an honour to be co-hosting this event again, now in our fifth year. Our joint annual conference is a touch point for the profession, an opportunity for us to share good practice and look ahead together. Accountants have an important part to play in protecting the public interest and a responsibility to deliver public value in a fast-paced global environment. There are challenges ahead, but we also see many opportunities.”
Claudia Vella Schembri and Margaret Buhagiar, from MIA’s Technical team emphasised that this event has become an important annual event for those who want to keep abreast with the way the accountancy profession is evolving. The line-up of speakers, which include among others Edward Attard, Frank Cassar, Thomas Galea, David Leone Ganado and Bernard Scicluna, is aimed at delivering value to those who will attend the event.