The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) today released two new staff publications to enhance understanding and support global adoption and implementation of its ethics standard on Using the Work of an External Expert as well as the International Ethics Standards for Sustainability Assurance^TM (including International Independence Standards^TM) (IESSA^TM), both of which are effective from December 2026. These publications explain key aspects of the standard related to using the work of an external expert and the proportionality of the ethics and independence provisions for sustainability assurance in the IESSA.

1. Questions and Answers on Using the Work of an External Expert

This publication is relevant to all professional accountants, whether in business or in public practice, and sustainability assurance practitioners (SAPs). It provides answers to common questions on:

• Evaluating whether to use the work of an external expert
• How to identify an external expert
• The extended requirements for evaluating the objectivity of an external expert in the context of an audit or other assurance (including sustainability) engagement
• Concluding an external expert’s competence, capabilities and objectivity
• Potential threats arising from using the work of an external expert
• Specific considerations related to the IESSA

Access other resources relating to this standard on the IESBA Experts Page.

2. Proportionality of the IESSA

This publication highlights key aspects of the IESSA that illustrate its proportionality, while the IESSA also provides a robust global ethics and independence baseline for sustainability assurance engagements (SAEs). The proportionality of the IESSA enables it to support the performance of SAEs for entities of all sizes, thereby underpinning public trust in those engagements.

The publication is especially geared towards facilitating the implementation of the IESSA by SAPs that are small and medium practices (SMPs).

Access other resources relating to the IESSA on the IESBA Sustainability Focus Page.

Both publications may also be helpful to jurisdictional standard setters, regulators and oversight bodies, professional accountancy organizations, educational bodies, and other stakeholders.

About IESBA

The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) is an independent global standard-setting board. The IESBA’s mission is to serve the public interest by setting high-quality, international ethics (including independence) standards as a cornerstone to ethical behavior in business and organizations, and to public trust in financial and non-financial information that is fundamental to the proper functioning and sustainability of organizations, financial markets and economies worldwide.

Along with the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB), the IESBA is part of the International Foundation for Ethics and Audit (IFEA). The Public Interest Oversight Board (PIOB) oversees IESBA and IAASB activities and the public interest responsiveness of the standards.

This Biennial Review provides a high-level summary of our activities in 2023 and 2024. Over this period, we completed a number of significant long-running projects. We also developed and finalized our 2024-2028 Strategy and Work Program, which builds on the achievements during the previous Strategy and Work Program, that spanned 2019-2023.

• Final program announced with Private Equity in Accounting under the spotlight, alongside panels on regulatory shifts, market transparency, firm culture, technology & AI, and financial crime.
• Keynotes feature Maria Luís Albuquerque (European Commissioner), Jean-Paul Servais (IOSCO Chair), and Joaquim Miranda Sarmento (Portugal’s Finance Minister), joined by more than 20 global leaders.
• Over 700 registrants confirmed from nearly 96 jurisdictions across six continents, including more than 250 in Lisbon. In-person registration closed; virtual participation still open.

The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) today unveiled the final program for its inaugural Ethics and Independence Conference, taking place on September 15 in Lisbon and online.

The program is complete, with the confirmation of speakers for the afternoon panel on the rise of private equity in accounting firms. The discussion, moderated by Ken Siong, IESBA Program and Senior Director, will feature Mark Babington, Executive Director of Regulatory Standards at the UK Financial Reporting Council and IESBA Board Member; Liam Boyle, Chief Risk Officer at Teneo; and Wendy Russel, Head of Audit at Grant Thornton UK.

This will be one of six targeted discussions covering key developments shaping the accounting services sector and financial markets. Panels will address regulatory shifts and their impact on accounting and capital markets, sustainability reporting, firm culture and governance, ethical tax planning, the accountant’s role in combatting financial crime, and the ethical implications of technological disruption and AI.

Keynote speakers include Maria Luís Albuquerque, European Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union, Jean-Paul Servais, Chair of IOSCO, and Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, Portugal’s Minister of State and Finance. They join a distinguished line-up of more than 20 global experts and leaders.

More than 700 participants have registered, representing 96 jurisdictions across six continents, with over 250 registered to attend in Lisbon. While in-person registration is now closed, virtual participation remains available.

The full program and registration details can be found at www.ethicsboard.org/iesba-conference-2025.

As regulatory pressures intensify and innovation accelerates, the conference offers a timely platform to explore how ethics and independence can strengthen competitiveness, resilience, and public confidence in business, the accounting profession, and global financial markets.

This event marks IESBA’s first global conference on ethics and independence, reflecting the Board’s commitment to engaging with stakeholders worldwide and promoting the International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards), a benchmark adopted or referenced in over 130 jurisdictions globally.

The conference also marks the beginning of the September 2025 IESBA Board Meeting, which will take place at the ISEG – Lisbon School of Economics and Management.

The event is made possible with the support of ISEG, as well as Portugal’s two professional accountancy organizations: OCC – Ordem dos Contabilistas Certificados and OROC – Ordem dos Revisores Oficiais de Contas.

Their support was critical to hosting the conference in Lisbon and reflects their alignment with IESBA’s mission to foster international dialogue on timely and pressing issues for the profession, financial markets, and the wider economy.

About IESBA

The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) is an independent global standard-setting board. The IESBA’s mission is to serve the public interest by setting high-quality, international ethics (including independence) standards as a cornerstone to ethical behavior in business and organizations, and to public trust in financial and non-financial information that is fundamental to the proper functioning and sustainability of organizations, financial markets and economies worldwide.

Along with the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB), the IESBA is part of the International Foundation for Ethics and Audit (IFEA). The Public Interest Oversight Board (PIOB) oversees IESBA and IAASB activities and the public interest responsiveness of the standards.

Media Contacts:

Rui Peres Jorge

Director of Strategic Communications

International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA)

ruiperesjorge@ethicsboard.org | Direct: +351 966-301-383

David Johnson

Senior Manager

IESBA Communications

davidjohnson@ethicsboard.org | Direct: +1 (212) 471-8732

The Lebanese Association of Certified Public Accountants' (LACPA) 22^nd International Congress: “Financial Inclusion for a Sustainable Economy” will take place in Beirut from 30 September to 2 October 2025. The three-day program convenes global and regional leaders to explore inclusion, digital transformation, sustainability reporting, public-sector reforms, and assurance. The participation fee is USD 250.

Keynote Speakers include:

The International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) has released narrow scope amendments to its standards revising the definition of listed entity to align with the definition in the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants’ (IESBA) Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards). The new definition will amend the International Standards on Quality Management and International Standards on Auditing. In addition, amendments to International Standard on Review Engagement 2400 (Revised), Engagements to Review Historical Financial Statements, aim to align with the IESBA Code of Ethics regarding certain public disclosures about the application of independence requirements.

The narrow scope amendments:

• Adopt the same definition of publicly traded entity (PTE) in the ISQMs and ISAs as adopted in the IESBA Code of Ethics, while recognizing the role local standard setters and regulators play in defining PTEs for their jurisdictions.
• Incorporate an overarching objective for differential requirements for PTEs in the ISQMs and ISAs and a framework for when it may be appropriate to apply such requirements to other entities.
• Amend the applicability of the existing requirements for audits of listed entities to apply to audits of PTEs.
• Add a new requirement in ISRE 2400 (Revised) for public disclosure in the practitioner’s review report when the practitioner applied independence requirements specific to reviews of financial statements of certain entities, e.g., for public interest entities.

Throughout the development of these amendments, the IAASB maintained close collaboration and coordination with IESBA, striving to align key concepts in the IAASB’s and IESBA’s standards, to the greatest extent possible.

To assist its stakeholder understanding and implementing the narrow scope amendments, the IAASB has published a Basis for Conclusions, available on its website here.

Effective Date and Resources
The narrow scope amendments become effective for engagements for periods beginning on or after December 15, 2026. This effective date is aligned with the effective dates for the IAASB’s recently revised standards on going concern and fraud, ISA 570 (Revised 2024) and ISA 240 (Revised), respectively. Together, these standards provide a stronger, more coordinated response to the risks of fraud and financial distress.

About the IAASB
The International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board develops auditing, assurance, related services, and quality management standards and guidance in the public interest that support consistent performance of quality engagements. Along with the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants, the IAASB is part of the International Foundation for Ethics and Audit. The Public Interest Oversight Board oversees IAASB and IESBA activities and the public interest responsiveness of the standards. For copyright, trademark, and permissions information, please visit Permissions.