reputational risks News

Swedish Insurer Folksam Divests $160 Million Tesla Stake

Sweden’s largest insurer Folksam said on Wednesday it has sold its stake in electric car maker Tesla over concerns about the company’s stance on workers’ rights. Tesla, headed by billionaire Elon Musk, is facing a backlash from unions and some …

Brazil Says Workers at China’s BYD Site Are Victims of Human Trafficking

Chinese workers at a construction site in Brazil for a factory owned by China’s electric vehicle producer BYD are victims of human trafficking, Brazilian labor authorities said on Thursday in a growing controversy in BYD’s biggest overseas market. BYD and …

PwC Probe Spotlight Shifts to Hong Kong After Record China Fine

The focus of a lengthy probe into PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP’s China business now shifts to Hong Kong after the accounting firm was hit with a record fine in the mainland over its audit of failed developer China Evergrande Group. Hong Kong’s …

PwC’s China Unit Suspended for 6 Months, Hit With Record Fine for Evergrande Audit

Chinese regulators on Friday hit PwC’s auditing unit in mainland China with a six-month business suspension and a record fine of 441 million yuan ($62 million) over the firm’s audit of troubled property developer China Evergrande Group. Delivering a strong …

EY, KPMG Benefit Most From PwC China’s Regulatory Woes

Ernst & Young (EY) and KPMG have snapped up over half of PwC’s corporate clients in China that have fled the market’s leading accounting firm as it faces a regulatory probe, filings show. Chinese authorities have been investigating PwC’s role …

China Evergrande Group’s Liquidators Start Legal Action Against PwC

China Evergrande Group’s liquidators have launched court proceedings against PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, another legal step to recover at least a fraction of creditors’ investments from the property giant. Lawyers of liquidators have started legal actions against PwC and PricewaterhouseCoopers Zhong Tian …

China Asks Large State Financial Institutions to Drop Auditor PwC, Sources Say

Chinese regulators have in recent months asked several large state-owned clients of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to drop the auditor as it braces for penalties over its work for troubled property developer Evergrande, said two sources. The regulators, mainly the Ministry of …

PwC Weighs Halving of China Financial Services Audit Staff, Sources Say

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is considering slashing up to half its financial services auditing staff in China, two people with knowledge of the matter said, as a regulatory investigation and an exodus of clients darken business prospects. The move follows Chinese regulators’ …

PwC Starts Mass China Layoffs After Losing Dozens of Clients

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP is cutting staff across its China operations, according to people familiar with the matter, after an exodus of corporate clients diminished the accounting firm’s revenue prospects in the country. At least 100 staffers from different teams at PwC …

Evergrande Liquidation Lawyers Probe PwC, Others to Recoup Creditor Losses: Sources

Lawyers appointed by the liquidators of China Evergrande Group 3333.HK are investigating some of the property developer’s service providers including its former auditor PricewaterhouseCoopers, to potentially recoup losses for creditors, three sources said. Evergrande, once China’s largest property developer, was …