BDO & PKF merger secures AIM auditor stronghold
BDO retains top spot for total AIM clients and moves up to fifth in AIM 100 ranking
BDO HAS retained the top spot for total AIM audit clients, as well as moving up to fifth spot for FTSE AIM 100 clients.
According to 2013 fourth quarter statistics from Advisor Rankings, BDO continues be the top AIM client auditor by volume, with 161 clients, followed by Grant Thornton with 148, KPMG with 136 and PwC with 112.
The Top 20 total AIM clients listing also saw new entrant Saffery Champness at joint 19th, a spot also held by Shipleys and Moore Stephens (with five clients each).
The Baker Tilly and RSM Tenon merger saw the combined firm hold onto seventh spot increasing its client roster to 65, from 52 ni the previous quarter.
As previously reported by Accountancy Age, if Baker Tilly were to add RSM Tenon’s fee income to its own, it would become the seventh largest firm in the Top 50+50. However, earlier this year the firm reported that “low-balling” price pressures were to blame for a decreased pre-tax profit for the year ending 31 March 2013.
Meanwhile, BDO continued to increase its ranking among AIM clients. A single gain by the firm, combined with a net loss of two clients by Grant Thornton, moved BDO up one spot to fifth in the AIM 100 clients ranking, which is still headed by PwC with 25 clients.
KPMG strengthened its hold of second place on the AIM 100 clients table, with 22 compared with 19 in the last quarter.