KPMG is a global professional services network and one of the Big Four accounting firms. Headquartered in London, it operates in 145 countries and employs over 275,000 people. KPMG is a network of member firms affiliated with KPMG International Limited, a private English company. Its primary services include financial audit, tax, and advisory.
Around 1913, Frank Wilber Main founded Main & Co. in Pittsburgh.
In March 1917, Piet Klijnveld and Jaap Kraayenhof established an accounting firm called Klynveld Kraayenhof & Co. in Amsterdam.
In 1923, The American Audit Company underwent a name change, becoming FW LaFrentz & Co.
In 1925, William Barclay Peat & Co. and Marwick Mitchell & Co. merged, creating Peat Marwick Mitchell & Co.
In 1939, the tax advisory agency Meijburg & Co. was founded by Willem Meijburg.
In 1963, Main LaFrentz & Co was formed through the merger of Main & Co and FW LaFrentz & Co.
In 1969, Thomson McLintock and Main LaFrentz merged to establish McLintock Main LaFrentz International, which subsequently absorbed the general practice of Grace, Ryland & Co.
In 1979, KPMG became part of the international organization.
In 1979, Klynveld Kraayenhof & Co. (Netherlands), McLintock Main LaFrentz (United Kingdom / United States), and Deutsche Treuhand-Gesellschaft (Germany) formed KMG (Klynveld Main Goerdeler).
In 1987, KMG (Klynveld Main Goerdeler) merged with Peat Marwick, leading to the selection of the initialism "KPMG" for the newly formed entity.
In the Netherlands, due to the merger between PMI and KMG in 1988, PMI tax advisors joined Meijburg & Co.
In 1991, the firm's name was changed to KPMG Peat Marwick.
Following the 1992 liberalisation of the Indian economy, KPMG purchased the auditing firm BSR & Co to carry out audits in India.
Between 1996 and 2002, KPMG LLP admitted criminal wrongdoing in creating fraudulent tax shelters to help wealthy clients avoid $2.5 billion in taxes.
In October 1997, KPMG and Ernst & Young announced their intention to merge, but the tie-up was later abandoned.
In 1999, the firm's name was shortened to KPMG.
In 2001, KPMG sent a takedown notice to Chris Raettig, a blogger who had linked to KPMG's "corporate theme song", citing their Web Link Policy.
In 2001, KPMG spun off its United States consulting firm through an initial public offering of KPMG Consulting, later rebranded as BearingPoint.
Between 1996 and 2002, KPMG LLP admitted criminal wrongdoing in creating fraudulent tax shelters to help wealthy clients avoid $2.5 billion in taxes.
In 2002, the UK and Dutch consulting arms of KPMG were sold to Atos.
In 2003, KPMG International changed its legal structure from a Swiss Verein to a co-operative under Swiss law.
In 2003, KPMG divested itself of its legal arm, Klegal, and sold its Dispute Advisory Services to FTI Consulting.
In 2003, the IRS issued summonses to KPMG for information regarding certain tax shelters and their investors.
KPMG issued written audit reports for China Medical Technologies (CMED) from 2003 to 2008.
In February 2004, the US Justice Department initiated a criminal inquiry against KPMG LLP.
On January 3, 2007, the criminal conspiracy charges against KPMG were dropped.
In October 2007, KPMG's member firms in the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein merged to form KPMG Europe LLP, followed by other countries.
In February 2008, Phil Mickelson signed a three-year global sponsorship deal with KPMG. As part of the agreement, Mickelson was to wear the KPMG logo on his headwear during all golf related appearances.
In February 2008, the HBOS accounts were published; six months later, HBOS required rescue by Lloyds Bank.
In March 2008, KMPG employees in the UK and South Africa were accused of bribing and recruiting employees to collect trade secrets.
In November 2008, the Siemens Supervisory Board recommended changing auditors from KPMG to Ernst & Young.
KPMG issued written audit reports for China Medical Technologies (CMED) from 2003 to 2008.
In August 2009, PwC Zhong Tian replaced KPMG as auditors for China Medical Technologies (CMED).
During July, KPMG paid HK$650 million (US$84 million) to settle legal claims after failing to identify fraud at a Chinese timber company, China Forestry, ahead of its listing in 2009.
In 2009, KPMG ranked in the top two overall in Consultancy Rankings 2009 by OpRisk & Compliance—in recognition of KPMG's experience in risk management.
In 2009, KPMG was ranked No. 4 on the list of "50 Best Places to Launch a Career" according to Bloomberg Businessweek.
In early 2009, BearingPoint filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
In December 2010, the FRC began investigating KPMG UK's audit of Rolls-Royce plc's financial statements, potentially leading to a fine for questionable audit practices.
In December 2010, the UK accounting regulator, Financial Regulation Council (FRC), opened an investigation into KPMG's audit of the financial statements of British aerospace company, Rolls-Royce plc.
In 2010, the Canadian member firm of KPMG sponsored skier Alexandre Bilodeau, who won the first gold medal for Canada on home soil in the Vancouver Olympics.
In 2011, KPMG was ranked second on the World's Best Outsourcing Advisors. That same year, the company was inducted into Working Mother Hall of Fame after being honored for 15 years as one of Working Mother magazine's 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers.
In November 2012, HP announced an $8.8 billion write off due to "serious accounting improprieties" committed by Autonomy management prior to its acquisition by Hewlett-Packard.
In 2012, KPMG brokered a tax deal for Microsoft with the Puerto Rican government, leading to a scheme that channeled billions in profits to Puerto Rico.
In 2013, KPMG UK agreed to a £5 million settlement in a lawsuit by Quindell (now Watchstone) concerning deficient audit work related to its financial statements.
In 2013, KPMG UK faced a £15m lawsuit from insurance outsourcer Watchstone, formerly Quindell, alleging losses due to the audit firm's negligence.
KPMG's global deputy chairman predicted in 2012 that headcount in China would overtake that of the UK by the end of 2013.
During August, Chile's Comision Para El Mercado Financiero(CMF) sanctioned KPMG Auditores Consultores Limitada and its partner for offences incurred in the audit made to the financial statements of the Aurus Insignia Fondo de Inversión for the year 2014.
In 2014, KPMG and McLaren Technology Group formed a ten-year strategic alliance to apply McLaren Applied Technologies' predictive analytics and technology to KPMG's audit and advisory services. KPMG's logo was also placed at the engine air intake of the McLaren F1 Team's cars.
In 2014, KPMG began its audit of the failed construction firm, Carillion, which continued until 2018 and later led to a lawsuit.
In 2014, tax arrangements negotiated by KPMG relating to tax avoidance and multinational corporations in Luxembourg became public in the Luxembourg Leaks.
In 2014, the OR's negligence claim focused on the value of major contracts which were not properly accounted for in audits, resulting in misstatements in excess of £800m within Carillion's financial reports.
In November, a British litigation financing firm—Augusta Ventures announced that it will bankroll three $152.4-million lawsuits in Canada against the previous auditor (KPMG LLP) of the Money Retailer Monetary Providers Inc., a Canadian payday lender that filed for creditor safety in 2014.
In 2015, KPMG issued a controversial report that implicated former Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan in the creation of an illegal intelligence gathering unit of the South African Revenue Service (SARS).
In 2015, the OR's negligence claim focused on the value of major contracts which were not properly accounted for in audits, resulting in misstatements in excess of £800m within Carillion's financial reports.
In February 2016, 91 partners of KPMG Hong Kong faced contempt proceedings in Hong Kong High Court due to refusal to produce Chinese working papers related to a $400 million fraud investigation.
In 2016, KPMG resigned from Oakbay Resources and Energy, a Gupta family company in the mining sector, after revelations of corruption and collusion. The full impact and financial profit that KPMG received is yet to be determined; however, at least one large company has terminated its services with KPMG due to its relationship with Oakbay.
In 2016, KPMG was ranked number 13 in Consulting Magazine's Best Firms to Work for.
In 2016, investigations and tribunals later focused on concerns and false information that occurred during the Carillion audit.
In 2016, the Financial Reporting Council fined KPMG's UK affiliate £875,000 for failing to meet audit requirements regarding the financial statements of its client, lighting company Luceco.
In 2016, the OR's negligence claim focused on the value of major contracts which were not properly accounted for in audits, resulting in misstatements in excess of £800m within Carillion's financial reports.
Since 2016, KPMG has been a strategic sponsor of Brain Bar, a Budapest-based, annually held festival on the future.
In July 2017, Carillion issued a profit warning before its collapse.
In July 2017, after controversial documents were leaked, Moses Kgosana, former chief executive of KPMG South Africa and the former partner that was responsible for audits related to the Gupta family, withdrew from becoming the chairman of Alexander Forbes, a financial services firm.
In September 2017, KPMG withdrew a controversial report that implicated former Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan in the creation of an illegal intelligence gathering unit of the South African Revenue Service (SARS). This action earned the ire of the Commissioner of SARS, Tom Moyane.
In September 2017, KPMG's senior leadership in South Africa, including its chairman Ahmed Jaffer, CEO Trevor Hoole, COO Steven Louw, and five partners, resigned after an internal investigation found work done for the Gupta family fell "considerably short" of the firm's standards and amid rising political and public backlash.
In 2017, KPMG terminated its partnership with McLaren Technology Group.
In 2017, KPMG was embroiled in related scandals involving the Gupta family, facing calls for closure and an uncertain future due to the damage done to the South African economy as a result of its activities.
In 2017, KPMG was ranked 29th on the Fortune list of 100 best companies to work for. Also in 2017, KPMG was among the UK's 25 top companies to work for.
In 2017, it was reported that KPMG had the highest number of deficiencies among the Big Four, cited by its regulator in the previous two years.
In 2017, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) initiated an investigation into KPMG UK's audit of Rolls-Royce plc's financial statements for the year ended December 2010.
In 2017, the UK accounting regulator, the Financial Reporting Council, imposed a £877,000 fine on KPMG's UK affiliate for not satisfying requirements regarding its 2017 audit of Eddie Stobart Group.
In December, KPMG South Africa published an open apology for its participation in various scandals in South Africa; its top eight staff resigned during 2017 and its workforce shrank from 3,400 to 2,200.
In January 2018, the Financial Reporting Council announced it would examine KPMG's role as auditor of collapsed UK construction firm Carillion.
In February 2018, KPMG was summoned to give evidence before two House of Commons select committees regarding its role as auditor of collapsed UK construction firm Carillion.
On 13 February 2018, KPMG was criticized by MP Frank Field for "feasting on what was soon to become a carcass" after collecting fees of £72m for Carillion work and was singled out for particular criticism.
On 22 February 2018, KPMG appeared before members of parliament where the evidence provided by KPMG was heavily contested during an exchange.
During April 2018, the UK accounting watchdog, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) announced an investigation into KPMG’s work for Conviviality, the British drinks supplier that collapsed into administration.
In May 2018, the final report of the Parliamentary inquiry into Carillion's collapse criticized KPMG for its "complicity" in the company's financial reporting practices.
In June 2018, the FRC identified "failure to challenge management and show appropriate scepticism across their audits" in a report on audit standards, highlighting a decline in KPMG's work quality.
In July 2018, the FRC started an investigation into KPMG's audit role at collapsed drinks merchant Conviviality.
In October 2018, the FRC proposed reforms to address falling trust in business and audit effectiveness, severely rebuking KPMG.
In November 2018, KPMG announced it would no longer undertake consultancy work for FTSE 350 Index-listed companies if it was also auditing them.
In 2018, KPMG concluded its audit of the failed construction firm, Carillion, which began in 2014, and which would later lead to a lawsuit and settlement in 2022.
In 2018, KPMG's UK affiliate was fined £1.46 million by the UK accounting regulator for 'basic failings' in its audit of M&C Saatchi plc's financial statements.
In 2018, the PCAOB fined KPMG South Korea US$500,000 for failing to prevent auditors from doctoring work papers, also banning two partners for altering documents during an audit of a US-listed company's Korean business.
Since 2018, copies of three whistleblowing reports were sent to KPMG International, alleging issues in the Saudi Arabia practice, including wrongful terminations, failure to pay staff and concerns about personal safety in the region.
In January 2019, KPMG announced it had suspended the partner that led Carillion's audit and three members of his team.
In March 2019, David Middendorf and Jeffrey Wada were convicted in the scandal involving advanced confidential knowledge of planned audit inspections by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB).
In June 2019, KPMG was fined $50 million for altering its past audit work after receiving stolen data from the PCAOB. KPMG admitted to its mistakes and agreed to hire an independent consultant to review its internal controls as part of the settlement.
In 2019, KPMG faced a US$50 million fine due to employees using stolen data from the PCAOB to identify audits for review.
In May 2020, the Financial Times reported that the Official Receiver was preparing to sue KPMG for £250m over alleged negligence in its audits of Carillion.
In September 2020, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) delivered its first report to KPMG, identifying a number of breaches in how KPMG audited Carillion's accounts. The FRC awaited a response from KPMG before deciding on enforcement action.
In 2020, KPMG International Limited was incorporated in London, England.
In 2020, KPMG International changed its legal structure to a limited company.
In 2020, the UK's Financial Reporting Council fined KPMG's UK affiliate £1 million for failing to meet audit requirements for its client, TheWorks.co.uk plc's 2020 financial statements.
KPMG US began publishing its diversity reports in 2020, which were removed from its website in February 2025 as part of a broader effort to abandon the firm's DEI targets.
In February 2021, KPMG UK appointed Bina Mehta as acting UK chairman and Mary O'Connor as acting senior partner in UK.
In February 2021, the liquidators of VBS Mutual Bank filed a lawsuit against KPMG's South African affiliate for 863.5 million Rand.
In March 2021, it was reported that KPMG was nearing a financial settlement with regulators regarding its auditing of Carillion. The FRC was expected to impose a record fine on KPMG, potentially around £25 million, for its failings.
In April 2021, Mary O'Connor quit KPMG UK after being passed over for the permanent role.
In May 2021, the liquidator secured funding for its legal action against KPMG, with speculation that the likely damages claim could be as much as £2 billion.
In August 2021, an FRC disciplinary panel was scheduled for 10 January 2022 to hear a formal complaint against KPMG and former KPMG partner Peter Meehan regarding the provision of allegedly false and misleading information concerning the 2016 Carillion audit.
In November 2021, KPMG UK revised its partnership process to introduce five levels of partnership, requiring partners to inject capital at levels starting at £150,000.
In 2021, KPMG's Canadian affiliate was sued for Canadian $1.4 billion by PriceWaterhouseCoopers for allegedly failing to detect misstatements in Bridging Finance Inc.'s financial statements before its collapse.
In 2021, capital partners at KPMG's UAE branch were not paid bonuses due to "cash flow issues".
In January 2022, a tribunal convened to hear a formal complaint against KPMG and former KPMG partner Peter Meehan regarding the 2016 Carillion audit.
In February 2022, Sky News reported that the Official Receiver's claim against KPMG would be in the range of £1 billion to £1.5 billion, with one source suggesting around £1.2 billion.
On 22 February 2022, KPMG and Phil Mickelson mutually split following comments in which Mickelson called Saudi Arabia "scary" but would overlook the country's human rights controversies in the best interest of the PGA Tour.
During March 2022, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, KPMG announced that their Russian and Belarusian firms would leave the KPMG network.
In April 2022, it was announced that KPMG will acquire 50% of the UK-based venture capital advisory specialist Acceleris, subject to approval.
In July 2022, controversies around KPMG Lower Gulf emerged. Staff at the UAE division accused the multinational firm of neglecting multiple complaints filed against the Emirati CEO Nader Haffar, alleging that he fostered a "fear culture". On July 21, Haffar requested a new election process for his position.
In July 2022, it was announced that Peter Meehan had been fined £250,000 and banned for ten years; three other former KPMG executives also received fines and lengthy bans.
In August 2022, KPMG announced plans to downsize its office footprint in New York City in 2025, when it moves its offices in the city from Midtown Manhattan to Two Manhattan West in Hudson Yards.
In September 2022, the global bosses were urged to suspend Nader Haffar from KPMG Lower Gulf, citing "nepotism, cronyism and a culture of fear" under his leadership. Concerns were also raised over falling profits.
In October 2022, the Financial Times published a report detailing unethical employment practices at KPMG Saudi Arabia, including wrongful terminations, racial tensions, and concerns about personal safety, leaving expatriate staff fearing for their safety and struggling with their mental health.
In November 2022, the Official Receiver (OR) stated that KPMG had "failed to respond" to Carillion allegations that it had failed to properly audit the accounting of 20 significant construction contracts.
In 2022, H2O was fined €75 million by the French regulator, Autorité des Marchés Financiers (France).
In 2022, KPMG UK confidentially settled a £1.3 billion lawsuit launched by the UK's Official Receiver related to its audit of Carillion between 2014 and 2018.
In 2022, the UK accounting regulator, the Financial Reporting Council, announced an investigation into KPMG's UK affiliate's 2022 audit of gambling company, Entain.
In February 2023, The Guardian reported that KPMG had settled the £1.3 billion lawsuit brought by Carillion's liquidators; details of the settlement were not made public.
In October 2023, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) fined KPMG UK £21 million for failing to follow "the most basic and fundamental audit concepts" and for an "unusually large number of breaches." KPMG UK will also pay legal costs of about £5.3 million.
In late December 2023, KPMG's French affiliate was sued by Collectif Porteurs H2O, representing investors in H2O funds, for losses related to investments in illiquid assets tied to Lars Windhorst.
In 2023, KPMG faced criticism for its audits of Signature Bank, First Republic Bank, and Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), all of which collapsed.
In 2023, KPMG faced criticism over its audit of the distressed New York Community Bank (NYCB).
In May 2024, KPMG partners approved the merger of its UK and Switzerland firms, working across audit, legal, tax, and advisory, and generating $4.4 billion annually.
In November 2024, KPMG announced that it would spend $100 million over the next four years to boost its enterprise artificial intelligence services via a partnership with Alphabet's Google Cloud.
In 2024, KPMG was organised into three service lines that generated $38.4 billion in revenue.
In February 2025, KPMG US removed from its website the diversity reports it had been publishing since 2020 as part of a broader effort to abandon the firm's DEI targets.
In August 2022, KPMG announced plans to downsize its office footprint in New York City in 2025, when it moves its offices in the city from Midtown Manhattan to Two Manhattan West in Hudson Yards.
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