-
Audit and assurance
-
Consulting
-
Cyber
-
Deals
-
Environmental, social and governance (ESG)
-
Financial services advisory
-
Forensics and investigations
-
Government and public sector
-
Insolvency and global asset recovery
-
International
-
Restructuring
-
Risk
-
Tax
-
Outsourced accounting services
Every business is different, the challenges they face vary but all need bespoke solutions. Businesses also share common ground when it comes to striving for reducing costs and improving efficiencies.
-
Royalty and intellectual property audit
Intellectual property (IP) is valuable and one of the challenges for you as an IP owner, whether in film, TV, book publishing or consumer products, is ensuring that you are receiving all royalties due to you.
-
Pensions
Assurance and financial reporting is key, and reporting with independent opinion gives confidence to trustees to support their governance processes.
-
Healthcare assurance
Our healthcare assurance team supports local and national NHS bodies improve the quality of their clinical data and cost information to accurately reflect the care delivered
-
Contract assurance
We know how complex accounting for large contracts can be. The services sector relies on successful deals and risks being isolated and understood.
-
Brexit and political risk advisory
We can help you navigate political volatility.
-
Business consulting
Challenges are specific and solutions do not translate perfectly from one business to another, which is why you told us you want a fully customised approach to professional services.
-
Corporate simplification
Having too many companies in your group structure can be expensive, and the changing financial reporting and regulatory landscape can lead to additional compliance work.
-
Economic consulting
Bespoke guidance grounded in complex economic theory and practical sector insight to help you make the right decisions.
-
Governance advisory
Helping you future proof your governance and decision-making structures
-
International services
To ensure the continuity of service you expect, our International Business Centres (IBC), led by our experts from around the world, work together to coordinate and provide global delivery.
-
People advisory
Create value by attracting, retaining and developing an agile and resilient workforce for continued business success.
-
Strategy
Our Strategy and Modelling capabilities are focused on helping management teams make better, more rigorous and quantified business decisions
-
Respond: Data breach, incident response and computer forensics
Are you prepared for a cyber failure? We can help you avoid data breaches and offer support if the worst happens.
-
Comply: Cyber security regulation and compliance
Cyber security regulation and compliance is constantly evolving. Our team can support you through the digital landscape.
-
Protect: Cyber security strategy, testing and risk assessment
Cyber security threats are constantly evolving. We’ll work with you to develop and test robust people, process and technology defences to protect your data and information assets.
-
Corporate finance
We combine award-winning technical expertise with the intuition, insight and confidence gained from our extensive sector experience and a deeper understanding of our clients.
-
Debt advisory
Working with borrowers and private equity financial sponsors on raising and refinancing debt. We can help you find the right lender and type of debt products.
-
Financial accounting advisory services (FAAS)
Our FAAS team can support your finance function with the flexible resource they need to get results.
-
Financial modelling
Models are at the heart of all business decisions. Whether you're looking to raise finance, buy or sell a business, assess strategic options, or just plan for the future, you're going to need a forecast. This is likely to come from a financial model.
-
Operational deal services
Most transactions fail to achieve their goals. There are many reasons for failure.
-
Our credentials
Search our transactions to see our experience in your sector and explore the deals advisory services we've delivered.
-
Restructuring
Protect and realise value throughout times of uncertainty, stress and distress
-
Transaction services
We will identify key business issues through our rigorous and tailored risk and business analysis process. Our Transaction Services team will then work with you to resolve these issues with a reporting method designed to suit each client and their preferred medium.
-
Valuations
The Valuations team has wide experience in valuations of private companies. We serve enterprises of all types and sizes, covering a wide range of industries
-
The ESG agenda
Shape your ESG agenda by identifying the right metrics, sustainable development and potential business value impact.
-
ESG driven business transition
Whatever your ESG strategy, we can support your organisation as it evolves while maximising efficiency and profitability.
-
ESG programme and change management
Do you have the right capabilities to drive the delivery of your ESG strategy to realise your targets?
-
ESG risk management
You must protect, comply, understand and influence to successfully manage the risk involved with ESG issues. We can help.
-
ESG strategy, risk and opportunity identification
We can help you clearly define your ESG Strategy, with the risks and opportunities identified and managed.
-
Create value through effective ESG communication
Building trust and engagement with your stakeholders on your ESG strategy.
-
ESG metrics, targets and disclosures
The pressure to report your ESG progress is growing. Do your targets measure up?
-
ESG governance, leadership and culture framework
Make the most of ESG opportunities by effectively embedding your strategy across your organisation.
-
ESG and non-financial assurance
Support your board to be confident in supplying robust information that withstands scrutiny.
-
Actuarial and risk
Grant Thornton's Actuarial and Risk team provides market leading actuarial and risk management advice to clients in the financial services sector and further afield. We consult extensively to the life insurance, general insurance, health insurance and pensions sectors as well as providing financial modelling and financial instrument valuation services more widely.
-
Business consulting
The Financial Services Business Consulting (FSBC) practice is able to harness the skills, knowledge and experience within the Financial Services Group, to provide a full suite of services across the delivery lifecycle, from strategic advisory to assurance. FSBC provides market-leading consulting and advisory services to the banking sector.
-
Business risk services
Our market-driven expertise helps firms keep growing and manage risk in an evolving regulatory landscape.
-
Financial crime
Helping you fight financial crime in a constantly changing environment
-
Financial services tax
In the Financial Services tax team, we provide tax advice to businesses from all over the world. We combine technical expertise with a commercial approach based on experience and deep industry understanding.
-
Insurance audit, assurance and advisory
Today’s financial services environment is the subject of increasingly rigorous governance, accounting and regulatory requirements. In the light of this, we provide a truly robust and independent service to undertake external audits with a defined, industry-specific audit approach that is specifically tailored to the relevant sector.
-
Leasing and consumer finance
We are a unique team in the accountancy profession and combine vast industry, product, and asset knowledge with a core service offering which adds real value to our clients.
-
Litigation support
Our in-depth understanding of the industry, and our sensitivity to conflicts make us the ideal choice for law firms and lawyers looking for unrivalled levels of service. We provide a wide range of litigation support and investigation services to the financial services industry.
-
Regulatory and compliance
Regulatory and compliance - We provide an exceptional level of regulatory and compliance support to both retail and wholesale organisations across the financial services industry.
-
Risk and capital management
We help businesses determine which capital risk management approach fits them best, ensuring that compliance is a natural by-product and not the primary driver. While the regulatory dimensions of capital risk management are growing at an unprecedented pace, it is our understanding of the links between risk, capital and performance that benefits our clients.
-
Transactions and restructuring
We carry out a wide range of transaction support services, including due diligence and business reviews to support acquisitions, lending transactions, acting as reporting accountants for financial businesses seeking a listing or trading on the capital markets.
-
Computer forensics
Computer forensics - We can report on metadata and provenance, internet activity, external connections and copying, destruction of evidence, smart devices, and we can conduct detailed forensic searches.
-
Corporate intelligence
Corporate intelligence often involves cross-border complexities. Our experienced team can offer support.
-
Cyber advisory
Our cyber team helps you to identify and guard against potential cyber risks to your organisation and mitigate against data leaks and hacks
-
Disputes advisory
Our team advises on quantum and other accounting or financial issues in commercial disputes, including acting as expert witness in litigation and arbitration.
-
Financial crime
Helping you fight financial crime in a constantly changing environment
-
Financial services investigations
We are market leaders in conducting and supporting investigations within the financial services industry
-
Forensic data analytics
Our forensic data analytics team are helping businesses sift the truth from their data. See how we can help your firm.
-
International arbitration
International arbitration has become the principal dispute resolution method for the determination of complex international commercial disputes.
-
Matrimonial services
We provide a distinctive, high-quality and personalised service to family lawyers and individuals across the UK both pre and post-marriage.
-
Monitoring trustee and competition services
Monitoring trustee and competition services - We provide independent Monitoring Trustee services to competition, financial, security and other regulatory bodies.
-
Forensic investigations and special situations
Do you need clarity in an uncertain situation? If you're accused of wrongdoing we can help you get the facts right.
-
Public sector advisory
To deliver excellent public services, local and central government need specialist support.
-
Public sector consulting
Helping public sector organisations maintain oversight of services and understand what's happening on the ground.
-
Public sector audit and assurance
As a leading UK auditor, we have unparalleled insights into the risks, challenges and opportunities that you face.
-
Public sector governance and risk
Although arguably necessary to bring order to public financing, the impact of the accelerated public sector funding cuts represents an unprecedented scale of funding reduction. While the sector has so far risen to the challenge, enduring service and financial pressures create risks and opportunities and have particular implications for governance, risk management and internal control.
-
Cryptoasset recovery
Get guidance and technical expertise on digital finance and cryptoasset recovery from our dedicated crypto hub.
-
Grant Thornton Offshore
Grant Thornton Offshore is our one-stop global solution for insolvency, asset recovery, restructuring and forensics services.
-
Contentious estates and family disputes
Managing complex, high net worth and sensitive issues such as divorce to resolution
-
Corporate intelligence
When you're embarking on recovery proceedings, you have just a small window of opportunity to take meaningful action.
-
Litigation support
Our in-depth understanding of the industry, and our sensitivity to conflicts make us the ideal choice for law firms and lawyers looking for unrivalled levels of service. We provide a wide range of litigation support and investigation services to the financial services industry.
-
Personal insolvency
We are a leading provider of personal insolvency services, delivering practical solutions in a sensitive manner, maximising recoveries for creditors or by helping individuals seeking for appropriate debt relief solutions.
-
Expand into new markets
Broadening your business horizons.
-
Finding the right international contacts
Introducing you to the people with the experience you need to succeed.
-
Getting more out of your existing international operations
How to stay in touch with, and make the most of changing markets.
-
Setting up in the UK
Practical advice and expert input for anyone moving into UK markets.
-
Contingency planning and administrations
In times of financial difficulty, it is vital that directors explore all the options that are available to them, including having a robust ‘Plan B’.
-
Corporate restructuring
Corporate restructuring can be a difficult time. Let our team make the process simple and as stress-free as possible.
-
Creditor advisory
We act as financial adviser to mainstream lenders, credit funds, special situation funds, security trustees and surety providers.
-
Debt advisory
Our debt advisory team can find the right lender to help you in restructuring. Find out how our experts can support you.
-
Financial services restructuring and insolvency
Financial services restructuring and insolvency is a competitive marketplace. Our team can help you navigate this space.
-
Pensions advisory services
Our pensions advisory service helps manage risk and agree funding strategies. Find out how we can help you.
-
Restructuring and insolvency tax
Tax will often be crucial in a plan to restructure a distressed business. Our team can guide you through the process.
-
Compliance assurance
Since the financial crisis of 2008 the governance and conduct of financial services firms has been under increasing scrutiny.
-
Data analytics
Deeper insight through data analysis is becoming commonplace, increasing the value, commercial challenge and calibre of insight delivered to the business.
-
Enterprise risk management
Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) has been around for a long time, but many organisations have struggled to understand it or genuinely embrace it.
-
Finance and risk management services
Our clients continue to prepare for and implement a range of new regulatory requirements, whilst having to navigate the uncertain macro-economic environment and structural change affecting the industry.
-
Internal audit services
Recent high profile control failures and increased regulatory demands require organisations to gain independent and objective assurance over the effectiveness of internal controls and risk mitigation.
-
People, culture and organisation
Whilst it is recognised that culture is a key enabler of strategy, the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors has placed greater focus on the importance of organisations’ culture.
-
Projects, capital programmes and transformation
Delivering significant medium and long term shifts in strategic direction, competiveness or performance often requires effective delivery of significant and complex projects and transformation programmes.
-
Technology risk services
Technology has been a key driver for success and operational efficiency in all industries.
-
Third party and contract assurance
Delivery of critical business activities, both business as usual and projects, increasingly means working with external partners for goods and services.
-
Capital allowances (tax depreciation)
Advisory and tools to help you realise opportunities in capital allowances.
-
Corporate and international tax
Accurate returns, managing risk & maximising opportunity.
-
Employer solutions
It's a well-known fact that, in business, people are your greatest asset.
-
Indirect tax
In recent years, there has been a domestic and global trend of Governments shifting emphasis from direct to indirect taxation. Globally, while corporation tax rates have generally decreased, VAT rates have risen.
-
Our approach to tax
The Finance Act 2016 introduced the requirement for businesses like ours to publicise their tax strategies by the end of the 2018 financial year. We fully support such initiatives and believe that firms sharing their approach to tax can promote widespread transparency, build trust and benefit society as a whole.
-
Private
You'll know just how important it is to maximise and protect your personal wealth.
-
Real estate tax
The impact of the prolonged downturn continues to be felt in certain parts of the world but pockets of opportunity and optimism have emerged within the real estate. The UK real estate investment market has enjoyed high levels of capital inflow from a wide range of different investors groups and continues to be attractive.
-
Research and development tax incentives
We can help you prepare optimised and robust research and development tax claims.
-
Tax investigations and disputes
We make it simple to stay compliant and avoid HMRC tax disputes
-
Tax risk management
We can help you manage your tax risk.
-
Transaction and restructuring tax
Undertaking a transaction, such as fundraising, refinancing, acquiring or disposing of a business or assets, or a more fundamental restructuring is an important step. Businesses, lenders and stakeholders need to understand the impact of that transaction.
- Automotive
-
Business services
-
Consumer markets
- Energy, energy transition, and environment
-
Financial services
-
Government and public sector
- Industrials and manufacturing
-
Not for profit
- Private sector healthcare
-
Real estate and construction
-
Technology, media and telecommunications (TMT)
-
Skills and training
Get the right support to deliver corporate and vocational training that leads the way in an expanding market.
-
Private education
Insight and guidance for all businesses in the private education sector: from early years to higher education and edtech.
-
Facilities management and property services
Get insight and strategic support to take opportunities that protect resilience and drive UK and international growth.
-
Recruitment
Helping recruitment companies take opportunities to achieve their goals in a market where talent and skills are key.
-
Food and beverage (F&B)
We can help you find the right ingredients for growth in your food and beverage business.
-
Travel, tourism and leisure
Tap into our range of support for travel, tourism and leisure businesses in this period of challenge and change.
-
Retail, e-commerce and consumer products
With multiple challenges and opportunities in the fast-evolving retail sector, make sure you are ready for them.
-
Banking
Our expertise and insight can help you respond positively to long term and emerging issues in the banking sector.
-
Capital markets
2020 is a demanding year for capital markets. Working with you, we're architecting the future of the sector.
-
Insurance
Our experienced expert team brings you technical expertise and insight to guide you through insurance sector challenges.
-
Investment management
Embracing innovation and shaping business models for long-term success.
-
Pensions
Pension provision is an essential issue for employers, and the role of the trustee is becoming increasingly challenging.
-
Central and devolved government
Helping central and devolved governments deliver change to improve our communities and grow our economies.
-
Infrastructure and transport
Delivering a successful transport or infrastructure project will require you to balance an often complex set of strategic issues.
-
Local government
Helping local government leverage technical and strategic expertise deliver their agendas and improve public services.
-
Regeneration development and housing
We provide commercial and strategic advice to assist your decision making in pursuing your objectives.
-
Transforming health and social care
Sharing insight and knowledge to deliver transformation and improvement to health and social care services.
-
Charities
Supporting you to achieve positive change in the UK charity sector.
-
Education and skills
The education sector has rarely faced more risk or more opportunity to transform. You need to plan for the future.
-
Social housing
We are committed to helping change social housing for the better, and can help you make the most of every opportunity.
-
Technology
We work with dynamic technology companies of all sizes to help them succeed and grow internationally.
-
Telecommunications
Take all opportunities to realise your goals in telecommunications: from business refresh to international expansion.
-
Media
Media companies must stay agile to thrive in today’s highly competitive market – we’re here to support your ambitions.
We suspect that the value impact of a year or two of challenging top-line forecasts has been partly mitigated by generous levels of government support and rent holidays in the worst-hit sectors. Furthermore, management’s forecast assumptions may have meant negative short-term value impacts being offset by an assumed bounce-back, with potentially higher medium to long-term growth assumptions and other offsetting value levers, such as lower discount rates.
At a time when no one knew what the right answer was, have management teams been given the benefit of the doubt or is it just that the public balance sheet has borne the brunt of the pandemic?
Not all impairments follow sector expectations
If the above is slightly surprising, the findings on a sector basis tend to broadly support the expected impacts of the pandemic, albeit with a significant number of companies bucking general trends in their sectors.
Figure 1 shows that companies in some of the hardest-hit sectors (e.g. high street retail, leisure and travel, automotive) have tended to recognise more impairments, but the size of the impairments is still a relatively modest proportion of value. For sectors that have arguably benefited from behavioural changes driven by the pandemic (such as information technology, online retail, healthcare and pharma)2, the story is not a uniformly positive one, with plenty of IT companies and healthcare companies having recognised impairments in 2020.
Figure 1: FTSE 350 impairments 2020.
What this says is that the medium-to-longer term impact of the pandemic is still not clear. This will depend very much on individual companies’ circumstances, their responses to the pandemic and their positions within complex, evolving national and global value chains. Being a technology business has not provided a get-out-of-jail-free card during the pandemic, in the same way that not all leisure and travel businesses have suffered.
A tough testing process
Our review also highlighted the volume of commentary in accounts around the more challenging aspects of impairment testing, based on disclosures in audit committee and auditors’ reports.
Many noted the difficulty of making forecast assumptions at a time of significant uncertainty. Some also identified weaknesses in the impairment testing process with statements such as:
- “Weakness was identified with respect to… the appropriate discount rates… and assumptions in respect of working capital cash flows included in the impairment calculations”
- “Our testing of models… identified some instances of over and under estimation”
- “We have recommended to management that improvements be made to enhance the precision and granularity of the review controls over the impairment model”
For many companies the impairment testing process has been tough. In large part this is down to the unprecedented and hard-to-predict impact of the pandemic. In our experience, it is also because many companies continue to struggle with certain aspects of performing and supporting their impairment tests in accordance with the accounting standards.
Forecasting – and other challenges
Forecasting has been a particular challenge as companies have had to create different Covid-related scenarios under an expected cash flow approach, where historically they may have relied on the more traditional approach using a single cash flow projection. These scenarios have had to consider not only the extent of the downside impact, but also the timing and magnitude of an uncertain recovery (the 'bounce-back').
In our experience the most common issues with the forecasting processes in impairment testing are:
- Inconsistency – impairment models are often cobbled together from either group or local business unit models, which may be inconsistent with wider firm budgeting and forecasting processes
- Lack of flexibility – few impairment models are set up to run the sort of sensitivities and scenarios which provide real insight into key risk areas
- Out of date – forecasts should represent management’s latest thinking at the date of the impairment test, but may be derived from historical budgeting exercises with out-of-date assumptions
- Incomplete – forecasts often stop at an operating profit or EBITDA level with little thought given to the impacts of capital expenditure or working capital, which can be material
- Short term – forecasts may not extend to a period where the business has reached a 'steady state', when it becomes reasonable to apply a terminal value
- Pre-tax – although the accounting standards refer to pre-tax cash flows/discount rates, the common valuation advice is to perform the analysis on a post-tax basis first and then back-solve to derive pre-tax numbers for disclosure purposes
Potential problem areas for companies
Impairment testing needs to be performed on the smallest group of assets that generate cash inflows that are largely independent of other assets, ie goodwill is tested at a CGU level. Depending on the nature of the business, identifying CGUs can be quite subjective, so this part of the process shouldn’t be overlooked.
Impairment testing models typically originate from other forecasting or budgeting models tweaked, sometimes unsuccessfully, to deal with the requirements of the value-in-use (VIU) concept.
IAS 36 and FRS 102 require impairment analysis to be done on a pre-tax basis, but it’s not as simple as leaving out the tax line and grossing up the discount rate. A number of practitioners recommend a back-solve approach, where the analysis is done post-tax and a pre-tax discount rate back-solved for disclosure purposes.
Tests of goodwill, tangible and intangible assets are enterprise value tests, so what needs to be included on the carrying value side? Many question whether working capital should be included or not. The answer is – it depends. The important point is one of consistency between carrying value and what lines are in the cash flows.
For global businesses/foreign CGU results are often translated at spot rates at the test date, because forward rates are hard to source. However, discount rates are not then adjusted appropriately for inflation differentials. The standard requires using local currencies and discount rates and translating at spot rates at the date of the value-in-use calculation.
Businesses with different service lines in different geographies face the issue of adjusting group risk premiums or betas to reflect the country risk and systematic risk of different CGUs, but these adjustments are often difficult to support.
The standards are prescriptive when it comes to the forecast period, it should not normally exceed five years, except in exceptional circumstances. However, this can mean terminal values being applied at inappropriate points when the business is not in a steady state, causing issues of over or under valuation.
Management and auditors need to be able to understand the sensitivity of valuations to key input assumptions. Models are often not set up to easily run different sensitivities and scenarios efficiently, making the process inefficient and prone to error.
IFRS 16 is often not being reflected properly in discount rates or cash flows.
The results of value-in-use impairment test models need to be cross-checked. If implied multiples are significantly out of line with market valuation metrics, it suggests something is not reasonable with cash flows or discount rates. Similarly if the aggregate values of CGUs less a group’s net debt sum to a number which is significantly more than the market cap of a listed business (taking into account control premia), again something is probably not right.
Whilst compliance with the disclosure requirements within IAS 36 and FRS 102 is the priority, we often see disclosures that don’t provide clarity of the impairment process and key assumptions made.
Allocation of corporate or central costs to CGUs is often overlooked.
Taking the pain out of impairment testing
It's not surprising that auditors and audit committees are challenging these and other aspects of impairment testing. None of these points are difficult to address, but they can be technically challenging and require a combination of accounting, valuation and modelling knowledge to get right.
Auditors who'd like to support their clients through these issues are often restricted by the need to maintain their independence. Grant Thornton’s Valuations and Modelling team can provide independent support, bringing accounting, modelling and valuation expertise together.
For example, we recently worked with a listed business which wanted to improve the forecasting process used in its impairment testing, having been through a difficult review with its auditors. We were able to support them by:
- collating and reconciling forecasts from different areas of the business to ensure consistency
- building simple but easily sensitised models that could run alternative recovery scenarios
- making sure management could support discount rates applied in different businesses and geographies (mapping to cash generating units)
- putting ourselves in the shoes of the company's auditor to ensure all of the requirements of IAS 36 were met and supported
Figure 2 highlights some key focus areas to ensure an efficient and robust exercise. Our support can be focused on a particular element, such as forecasting or setting up VIU models, or may involve full outsourcing of the impairment testing process with an audit-ready deliverable.
Figure 2: Taking the pain out of impairment testing
Looking forward to 2021 and beyond
At the moment, the public balance sheet has taken most of the strain of the pandemic, despite the relatively modest impairments recognised in 2020, we believe the next few years will be testing years for impairment reviews. Assumptions made about the shape of the recovery in 2020 will be tested against reality and refined in 2021 and beyond. Businesses are likely to be challenged on the speed and extent of the assumed bounce-back.
Uncertainty will be a recurring bedfellow for some time and will vary significantly depending on the sector and jurisdictions in which an entity operates. Having a technically robust and well-supported impairment testing process in place, however, will help management considerably in their future discussions with audit committees and auditors, as well as highlighting key risk areas for the business.
For further information on this topic contact Adam Sutton.
Footnotes
1 The same companies that now constitute the FTSE 350
2 FTSE 350 sub-sector classifications based on CapIQ industry codes