ICAI expands mandatory applicability of audit quality evaluation matrix

Apr 13, 2026

Synopsis
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India is expanding its audit quality model. This now includes firms auditing subsidiaries of listed entities, banks, or insurance companies. Separately, ICAI proposes a single regulator for multidisciplinary partnerships. This move aims to foster large Indian firms and compete globally. These changes are significant for the Indian audit sector.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has expanded the mandatory applicability of its audit quality maturity model to firms auditing subsidiaries, associates, joint ventures or holding structures of listed entities or banks or insurance companies that are subject to peer reviews.

In a peer review, an independent auditor usually verifies the audit processes, procedures and documentations followed by the auditor of a firm and issues a report. Such reviews serve to improve the credibility of auditors involved and their audit quality.

Earlier, those auditing subsidiaries, associates, joint ventures or holding structures of the stipulated entities were not mandated to follow the audit quality maturity model (AQMM), a matrix that enables audit firms to self-evaluate their audit maturity and identify areas of improvement.

The institute has now expanded the scope of the AQMM's mandatory applicability through a public announcement,

Multidisciplinary partnerships

​Separately, the ICAI has suggested that the watchdog regulating the partners having a majority control of a multidisciplinary partnership (MDP) be entrusted with the job of regulating that entity, people aware of the details said.

MDPs, where skilled workers from accounting and consultancy professions can work under a single firm structure, are a key part of the government’s plan to facilitate the creation of large home-grown firms akin to the Big Four.

Last year, the corporate affairs ministry had floated an office memorandum, seeking stakeholder comments on allowing MDPs in India.

The presence of different regulators for licensing in different professional services in the extant system was one of the factors discouraging the setting up of MDPs. Fewer than 1% of accounting firms in India have more than 10 partners each.

The absence of large homegrown firms has allowed the Big Four—EY, Deloitte, KPMG and PwC—along with Grant Thornton and BDO to dominate the Indian audit ecosystem.

Already, Shaktikanta Das, principal secretary-2 to the prime minister, has deliberated with senior officials from the finance and corporate affairs ministries on steps to facilitate the creation of large homegrown firms.

Attaining scale could help Indian firms capitalise on the estimated $240 billion global auditing and consultancy market.

[The Economic Times]