ChainCatcher news, Binance has announced the appointment of Grant Thornton Singapore, a commercial and professional services firm, to provide global accounting and tax consulting services in preparation for future audits of its global operations. In the fiscal year 2023 alone, Binance's entities have completed 25 audits to date and received unqualified opinions.Grant Thornton Singapore will provide professional non-audit and non-assurance services, advising Binance on technical accounting, financial reporting, audit readiness, and tax matters. The firm will offer consulting services based on accounting policies under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) related to both cryptocurrency and non-cryptocurrency transactions.Kaiser NG, Senior Vice President of Finance at Binance, stated: "Partnering with Grant Thornton is an important step in building trust in our accounting processes and provides significant support in preparing for future audits."

ChainCatcher news, Hong Kong cryptocurrency custodian Hex Trust announced on the X platform that it has obtained Deloitte SOC 1 Type II certification.According to previous news, Hex Trust plans to conduct a new round of financing this year, but due to investors' cautious attitude, it has not yet been determined whether it will take place in the first half or the second half of this year.

ChainCatcher news, blockchain analysis company Chainalysis has announced a strategic alliance with the Big Four accounting firm Deloitte to help their mutual clients address compliance challenges in the digital asset ecosystem.Through this alliance, mutual clients of Chainalysis and Deloitte will be able to leverage Chainalysis's proprietary blockchain datasets, analytical software, and training programs, along with Deloitte's services, to assist clients in managing forensics, investigations, and compliance programs. Chainalysis will collaborate with Deloitte on blockchain and digital asset practices related to cryptocurrency and digital asset risks, analytics, investigations, anti-money laundering/know your customer (AML/KYC), and regulatory compliance.Additionally, Deloitte will expand its workforce of professionals trained and certified in Chainalysis products focused on blockchain analysis and investigations.

ChainCatcher news, according to Blockworks, cryptocurrency mining company Riot Platforms announced the termination of its contract with accounting firm Marcum and appointed Deloitte as its auditor. Marcum had audited Riot Platforms' consolidated financial statements for the fiscal years 2018 to 2022. Deloitte will serve as the company's independent CPA firm for 2023.According to a regulatory filing, this change "is not due to any disagreements regarding accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosures, or audit scope or procedures." The filing added that shareholders will vote on this change on June 27.A Bloomberg survey conducted last week of 24 cryptocurrency companies found that 46% of the companies had their comprehensive financial audits performed by the "Big Four" accounting firms. Among them, three companies used Marcum's audit services. Coinbase, Circle, and Ripple utilized Deloitte's annual audit services. (source link)

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, the fintech company [Digital Asset](https://www.rootdata.com/zh/Projects/detail/Digital Asset?k=MzYyMA==) will launch a privacy-supporting interoperable blockchain network called Canton Network, aimed at providing decentralized infrastructure for institutional clients.It is reported that other participants in the Canton Network include BNP Paribas, Deloitte, Chicago Board Options Exchange Global Markets (CBOE), Goldman Sachs, Broadridge, S&P Global, and Microsoft. (Source link)

ChainCatcher news, accounting firm Deloitte has announced the integration of the Polkadot ecosystem identity protocol KILT Protocol for issuing reusable digital certificates to support its Know Your Customer / Know Your Business (KYC/KYB) processes. KILT's technology can eliminate the existing inefficiencies surrounding KYC/KYB processes. These credentials have multiple use cases, including regulatory compliance for banks and DeFi, age verification for e-commerce, private logins, and fundraising, etc. (source link)

ChainCatcher news, according to Blockworks, one of the Big Four accounting firms, Deloitte, is hiring hundreds of employees for crypto-related positions. A search on LinkedIn for crypto jobs in the U.S. revealed that Deloitte has posted 331 crypto positions, almost all of which were posted a week ago, including roles such as Blockchain and Digital Assets Manager, Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Tax Manager, and NFT-related Tax Manager. Additionally, there are several overlapping positions listed on Deloitte's website.The report states that searching for crypto-related positions at the other "Big Four" accounting firms (EY, KPMG, and PwC) on LinkedIn yielded zero results.Previously, Blockworks reported in January 2023 that Circle hired Deloitte to audit its reserve proof. (Source link)

ChainCatcher news, according to Blockworks, Circle has announced that it will collaborate with the accounting firm Deloitte to audit its proof of reserves. Circle has worked with Grant Thornton for auditing over the years, but due to the cautious stance of several accounting firms regarding audits of crypto companies, Circle has made a shift. Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire stated that Circle is prepared for regulatory matters and will closely monitor the regulatory guidance on stablecoins being formulated by the U.S. Congress. (source link)

ChainCatcher news reports that industry insiders indicate that financial services companies in Hong Kong are racing to prepare the groundwork to enable retail clients to trade virtual assets in the coming months.Robert Lui, head of digital assets at Deloitte Hong Kong, stated, "We have found that many local brokers and fund management companies are seeking our advice regarding the licensing requirements under the new regulatory regime." He added that the authorities may allow retail investors to trade virtual assets with larger market capitalization and liquidity.Currently, brokers do not need additional specific licenses to provide clients with trading services for Hong Kong-listed ETF futures based on Bitcoin and Ethereum. However, Lui added that companies planning to offer active trading of virtual assets (such as cryptocurrencies and their related futures products) will need to obtain additional approval from the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission. (South China Morning Post)According to previous reports, the Hong Kong Legislative Council passed amendments to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, which will establish a licensing system for virtual asset service providers. The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Christopher Hui, stated that the new system will take effect on June 1, 2023, and virtual asset trading platforms will be required to comply with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regulations, just like traditional financial institutions. (Source link)

ChainCatcher news, according to Blockworks, a Binance spokesperson stated that the accounting firms PwC, Deloitte (DTT), KPMG, and EY are unwilling to conduct reserve proof audits for private crypto companies. After Mazars suspended its services for cryptocurrency clients, Binance has reached out to several large firms and is still looking for companies willing to take on this work.It is reported that Deloitte is currently collaborating with Coinbase to provide audit and accounting services, while EY has partnered with crypto tax and accounting technology provider TaxBit. (blockworks)