IFIAR Plenary Meeting, Berlin 2025

The Public Oversight Board (POB) participated in the IFIAR Plenary Meeting 2025, held in Berlin on April 8–10, organized by the German Audit Oversight Body (AOB), together with representatives from 49 independent audit oversight authorities from around the world.

The Plenary serves as a unique platform for exchanging best practices and fostering discussions among IFIAR members, observers, and other key stakeholders on significant developments in the audit market and the growing role of regulators in a constantly evolving environment. The meeting opened with a keynote speech by Mr. Dan McCrum, journalist at the Financial Times, who linked the role of investigative journalism, failures in financial reporting, and the work carried out by audit regulatory authorities. Over three days, the Plenary addressed critical topics for the audit market and regulatory oversight, including:

✅ Regulatory approaches to small audit firms;

✅ Providing assurance on sustainability reporting and strengthening supervisory capacities;

✅ Approaches to the use of artificial intelligence in regulatory activities to monitor technological developments affecting the audit market;

✅ Drafting and implementing professional standards in a complex environment;

✅ Enhancing communication between auditors, investors, and stakeholders

Special appreciation goes to the International Forum of Independent Audit Regulators (IFIAR), and in particular to the outgoing IFIAR Chair, Mr. Takashi Nagaoka, and the IFIAR Secretariat staff for creating this cooperation platform and for their dedication to fulfilling our shared mission: serving the public interest through strengthened global audit oversight.

We also thank the German Audit Oversight Body (AOB) for successfully hosting this year’s Plenary.

The POB remains committed to strengthening audit oversight in Albania through international cooperation and the exchange of experiences aimed at improving quality and transparency in the audit profession.