Rapidly advancing technology is transforming the way that professional accountants conduct their work. In this dynamic context, accountants’ competencies and ethical mindset and behaviors, underpinned by the International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards) (the IESBA Code), are crucial to supporting continued public trust in their work.

To assist professional accountants in business and in public practice in ethically navigating the challenges and opportunities brought by technological transformations, earlier today the Japanese Institute of Certified Public Accountants (JICPA) and the staff of the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) jointly released Ethical Leadership In a Digital Era: Applying the IESBA Code to Selected Technology-Related Scenarios. This non-authoritative publication provides seven hypothetical scenarios to illustrate how accountants can navigate practical issues in ethical leadership when using or implementing technology.

Each scenario highlights the application of specific requirements and guidance in the IESBA Code, in particular those related to compliance with the fundamental principles of ethics, and auditor independence.

The publication was developed by the JICPA under the auspices of the IESBA’s Technology Working Group. The document is available on the IESBA’s and JICPA’s websites.

Gillian Tett of the Financial Times has often been quoted talking about Warrior Accountants and how it is not just the activists, politicians and scientists who are trying to solve the climate crisis, but that the financial and professional services industry, has an equally important role to play. Our webinar during Climate Week NYC 2022 will explore this premise while focusing in on the question of how the financial markets can become the most protective force on the planet.