As geopolitical uncertainty, rapid technological advances and evolving stakeholder expectations reshape the global business landscape, the accountancy profession has an increasingly strategic role in building resilient organisations and trusted economies.

Join the CEOs of four leading professional accountancy bodies from Chartered Accountants Worldwide (CAW) as they share insights into how the profession is evolving to meet the demands of a fast-changing world. Drawing on experiences from different jurisdictions, the panel will discuss emerging global trends, the future skills finance professionals need, and how the profession is responding to developments in artificial intelligence, sustainability reporting and assurance, talent shortages, and changing business expectations.

Many financial strategies and assumptions were shaped during an extended period of stable growth, low inflation, and low interest rates. That environment has since shifted with shocks from pandemics to wars and financial tightening.

This session helps finance leaders step back and reassess which macroeconomic assumptions still hold, which need recalibration, and how the trade‑offs between efficiency, resilience, and optionality should now be evaluated.

Drawing on current economic conditions, the economist will examine how these forces affect budgeting, capital allocation, liquidity buffers, and risk management. The session is designed to support CFOs and finance leaders in making decisions that are robust under uncertainty and defensible at board level.

As sustainability expectations become increasingly connected to financial performance, risk management and access to capital, finance functions are being asked to play a larger role beyond traditional reporting. This session launches ISCA’s dipstick study on finance functions in sustainability, developed with KPMG as our knowledge partner.

The discussion will unpack key findings on where finance teams are currently involved, where ownership remains limited, and what capability gaps must be addressed, particularly in sustainability reporting, assurance, carbon accounting, climate scenario analysis and sustainable finance. Panellists will share practical perspectives on how finance leaders can move from supporting sustainability disclosures to shaping strategy, investment decisions, data governance and long-term value creation.

Money laundering threats continue to evolve in complexity, fuelled by technological advancements, cross-border criminal networks, and increasingly sophisticated methods of concealing illicit funds. As regulatory expectations rise, organisations face growing pressure to strengthen their anti-money laundering (AML) frameworks while remaining agile in an ever-changing risk landscape.

This session brings together perspectives from law enforcement and legal practice to provide a holistic view of the AML ecosystem. A representative from the police will share insights into emerging financial crime trends, enforcement priorities, and real-world case studies that illustrate how criminal activities are detected and investigated. A financial crime lawyer will discuss common compliance pitfalls, legal implications arising from AML breaches, and lessons learned from enforcement actions.

Moderated by a seasoned governance and regulatory compliance adviser, this session will connect frontline enforcement and legal perspectives to the practical concerns of finance leaders responsible for strengthening organisational resilience against financial crime. Attendees will gain valuable insights into current AML risks, evolving regulatory expectations, and effective strategies for strengthening their organisation's defences against financial crime.

Geopolitical tensions, including US–China rivalry, regional conflicts, and energy price volatility, are fundamentally reshaping global supply chains. What were once efficiency-driven networks are being reconfigured around resilience, security, and regionalisation.

These macro shocks are now directly flowing into financial outcomes — driving input cost inflation, margin pressure, higher working capital needs, and more complex capital allocation decisions. Energy price swings and trade restrictions further amplify uncertainty across procurement, FX exposure, and supplier reliability.

For CFOs, supply chain risk is no longer an operational concern but a core financial strategy issue. Finance leaders must now embed geopolitical awareness into forecasting, scenario planning, and capital allocation to manage volatility and protect returns.

This session explores how CFOs can move from reactive risk mitigation to proactive resilience building through better data, tighter integration of procurement and finance, and disciplined scenario-based planning.

In an environment of increasing regulatory scrutiny and stakeholder expectations, accounting firms face growing pressure to balance commercial objectives with their professional and ethical responsibilities. Recent events in the professional services sector have highlighted how breakdowns in governance, information management and organisational culture can quickly escalate into reputational, legal and operational risks.

This session explores key lessons for accounting firms from a high-profile governance and whistleblower case involving allegations of inappropriate information sharing, concerns over internal reporting mechanisms and questions surrounding leadership oversight. Through an examination of the issues raised, participants will consider how firms can strengthen safeguards around confidentiality, manage conflicts of interest, and foster a culture where ethical concerns are identified and addressed early.

The discussion will also examine the critical role of leadership in setting the tone from the top, responding to allegations of misconduct, and maintaining stakeholder trust during periods of heightened scrutiny.

Middle East conflict contributing to ongoing supply chain disruptions, persistent inflationary pressures and increasing fragmentation in global markets are examples of external developments that continue to reshape business risks and audit considerations. This is coupled with recent revisions in key auditing standards on going concern and fraud.

This session highlights key developments affecting audits, including geopolitical uncertainty, macroeconomic volatility and evolving business risks. It will also cover recent updates to financial reporting standards and their implications for financial reporting.

Stay updated and audit-ready for what lies ahead in an increasingly complex and uncertain reporting environment.

What does it take to build trust in sustainability reporting? In this candid conversation, an ACRA representative and an assurance practitioner will unpack key regulatory developments and what they mean for firms in practice. Bringing together regulatory and market perspectives, they will explore what credible assurance looks like, where expectations differ, and how firms can build capability needed to navigate this evolving landscape while upholding ethics and independence. For practitioners looking to stay ahead of the curve, this is a conversation not to be missed.

Property is often one of the most significant assets on the balance sheet. Valuations sit at the heart of the audit due to their materiality and complexity and remain a continued focus of regulatory and inspection scrutiny.

A key challenge for auditors is striking the right balance between appropriate reliance on management’s external valuers, and the need to obtain independent, sufficient appropriate audit evidence while maintaining professional skepticism.

This panel discussion will help auditors navigate these challenges in practice, drawing on perspectives from valuation experts and regulators. It will explore how valuation methodologies are applied, how key assumptions are developed and challenged, and how auditors can effectively evaluate valuation evidence and strengthen audit quality in high-judgement engagements.

Maintaining high audit quality is critical to sustaining confidence in financial reporting and Singapore's business environment. Through its Practice Monitoring Programme (PMP), ACRA reviews the work of public accountants and audit firms to assess compliance with professional standards and identify areas for improvement.

In this session, ACRA will share key observations and findings from its recent practice monitoring activities, highlighting common deficiencies, emerging themes, and areas where audit firms continue to face challenges. Attendees will gain valuable insights into regulatory expectations, recurring issues identified during inspections, and examples of good practices observed across the profession.

The session will also discuss developments that may impact audit quality, including evolving auditing standards, quality management requirements, and the increasing complexity of the business and reporting landscape. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of how firms can strengthen their audit processes, enhance quality management systems, and address inspection findings effectively.