In this issue…

This month’s edition of AB shows the sheer variety of issues that professional accountants have to be across today.

ACCA members are finding they must familiarise themselves with developments in technology – in particular AI. Our latest article on this looks at how to balance AI’s benefits with privacy concerns around its development and use. PwC partner Pat Moran sets out the challenges and best practice. We also look at how different jurisdictions in Asia are approaching emerging technology and what attempts are being made to regulate generative AI.

Geopolitical risk has widespread impact, and this month we look at just how worried finance professionals should be by the disruption to shipping in the Red Sea.

From another political hotspot, we talk to Dmytro Belianskiy FCCA, who is a Ukrainian partner at Mazars in Kyiv. He also serves as a lieutenant in Ukraine’s armed forces and is technically on standby to be sent into battle. He discusses the challenges of keeping the firm running throughout the current conflict.

Our main interviewee this month is Edmund Lee FCCA, group CEO of InCorp Global. After two decades working in Hong Kong, Lee moved to Singapore in 2020 to take up a chief executive role in a global company offering corporate advisory services. He talks about the shift into the C-suite, how the accountancy profession has evolved in Asia, and why he is grateful that his ACCA qualification has opened doors in his career.

In our practice section, we find out about the benefits of joining an international network and how alliances can enable geographic growth, as well as recruitment and retention of top-tier talent. And in his column this month, Chris Davis writes on what the Year of the Dragon might bring as Hong Kong looks ahead to an improved economy.

Finally, in more light-hearted coverage, we look at the impressive returns enjoyed by some celebrities’ investment portfolios, and we explore the skills needed for a career as a finance professional in mobile gaming.