PwC tops KPMG in AIM 100 audit rankings

Research from Adviser Rankings showed PwC currently services 28 of the top AIM (Alternative Investment Market) companies, which lists small to mid-cap growth businesses.

PwC won three contracts in the last quarter, taking them ahead of rival Big Four firm KPMG, whose audit contracts fell from 26 to 25 for the AIM 100

KPMG remained on par with PwC in the AIM 50 rankings, with 11 contracts each.

There were no changes in the wider AIM index rankings, with BDO remaining top with 155 contracts. They were followed by Grant Thornton on 147 and KPMG a close third at 146.

PwC ranked fourth with 114 contracts across the broader AIM listings. It again ranked first, with KPMG second, when comparing the market value of the companies it audits.

Big Four competitors Deloitte and EY were ranked third and fourth respectively for the FTSE AIM 100, but EY jumped into third when looking at the AIM UK 50. For the wider index, Deloitte placed fifth, while EY was sixth.

In its quarter four report, published with Fasken Martineau, Adviser Rankings noted the usual “lull” in AIM audit activity in the last three months.

Changes to audits for the FTSE 350 take effect in January 2015 and have driven a number of recent tenders. However, Adviser Rankings noted AIM companies are not included in the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) orders, although it has implemented rules for increased transparency.

While not “root and branch reform”, the rules are unlikely to be welcomed be everyone in the relatively “light-touch” AIM regulatory framework, it added.