Ranking of TOP firms in the world

The 20 Top Accounting Firms In The World
Each year the worlds largest accounting firms
grow a little larger. With mergers and
acquisitions the never ending competition for
global supremacy seems to never end.
With that said, as of 2014, these are the 20
biggest global accounting firms, all things
considered.
And the Winner is…
1. Deloitte
Deloitte CPA Firm
It comes as no surprise that Deloitte holds the
number one global position. It’s hold on the
top spot seems secure for the time being.
Deloitte is located in more than 150 countries,
and has over 600 offices in the world. The firm
is headquartered in New York City, New York.
They have most recently reached the 100-
partner milestone when they merged with
Curtis Mclean.
Deloitte specializes in audit & assurance, tax,
advisory, and risk. They offer a wide range of
services that include strategy, financial and
technical, and human capital.
2. PwC
Deloitte’s closest competition over the last few
years has and continues to be PwC
(PricewaterhouseCoopers). PwC comes in as
the second largest accounting firm in the
world.
PwC has locations in more than 150 countries
and more than 750 offices worldwide. Unlike
Deloitte, they are headquartered in London.
The firm has most recently merged with Booz &
Co, a medium sized consulting firm. The
merger was approved on December 23rd,
2013. They offer a wide range of services but
they specialize in audit & assurance, tax, and
consulting.
3. Ernst & Young
Ernst & young earns the number three position
in global accounting firms. This firm operates in
more than 150 countries, utilizing more than
700 offices worldwide.
They are globally headquartered in London. In
recent history the firm has acquired Greenwich
Consulting, adding 7 more offices to its roster,
and more experience in strategy consulting.
4. KPMG
Holding firm at number four, KPMG comes in
as the last of the big 4, but still far ahead of
the number five firm on our list.
The firm operates in over 650 offices located in
over 150 countries around the world. They are
headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
In recent news, the company has recently
merged its Denmark operations with those of
Ernst & Young. The merger will allow the
company to offer more services to its clients
while providing more support for that particular
region.
5. Grant Thornton
Grant Thornton UK is number five in the top 20
firms and is an arm of Grant Thornton
International. The firm has 26 offices spread
across the UK and specializes in audit, tax and
advisory services.
Most recently they merged with PFK to bring
more services and locations to its clients in the
UK. The firm is headquartered in London.
6. BDO
BDO ranks number six and is headquartered in
Makati City, Philippines. The firm has more
than 1,200 offices in 138 countries. They
recently added to their capabilities and offices
through the acquisition of Alpern Rosenthal.
The merger will allow BDO to expand its
operations in both Pittsburgh and Florida. The
firm specializes in audit, tax, and advisory
services but has much more to offer its clients.
7. RSM Tenon
(Acquired by Baker TIlly in August 2013)
RSM Tenon Group comes in at number seven
out of the top 20 firms in the world.
They are headquartered in London, and
currently operate out of more than 700 offices
located in more than 100 countries. The firm
recently announced the merger of its China firm
with that of Crowe Horwath’s Chinese firm to
create a new firm called Ruihua China CPA’s.
The new firm has requested to be a member of
both Crowe Horwath China and RSM China.
8. Smith & Williamson
Smith & Williamson holds the number eight
position in the world. They are headquartered
in London, and hold more than 550 offices in
over 100 countries.
The company hasn’t merged with any other
firms in recent history but is a part of M&A
International and Nexia International.
9. Baker Tilly
Baker Tilly is number nine on the top 20 list in
the largest firms in the world. They are
headquartered in Chicago, hold more than 580
offices in more than 110 countries.
In June 2013 the firm merged with Holtz
Rubenstein Reminick LLP. The merger will add
25 firms to Baker Tilly’s already larger list.
10. Moore Stephens
Moore Stephens UK holds the tenth spot on the
top 20 list of firms and is headquartered in
London.
They are a part of Moore Stephens
International which has more than 620 offices
in more than 100 countries. The UK division
recently merged with Winx, corporate finance,
and X-Stra, business consulting.
The merger will allow the firm to expand their
corporate finance sector.
11. Mazars
Mazars, headquartered in London, holds the
number eleven position. The firm has more
than 13,000 employees in more than 70
countries.
They recently merged with Chadwick at their
Liverpool and Manchester branches. The
merger will allow the company to expand in the
area where they did not have a great presence
before.
12. Haines Watts
Haines Watts holds the number twelve position
on the top 20 firms in the world. They are
currently headquartered in London, have more
than 60 offices in the region.
The firm is part of Geneva Group international.
The company recently merged with Ocean
Consultancy Limited.
13. Crowe Clark Whitehill
Crowe Clark Whitehill is headquartered in
London, and has more than 160 firms operating
in more than 105 countries. They specialize in
audit, tax, and advisory services. The firm has
not completed any mergers recently, however
they did win the Accountancy Firm of the Year
award in 2012.
14. Saffery Champness
Saffery Champness is headquartered in London
and currently operates out of 12 offices. They
are part of Nexia international which has a very
large network of firms throughout the world.
Saffery Champness specializes in audit, tax,
and advisory services. The firm recently
acquired 4 other firms in 2012, boosting their
performance and rankings.
15. Begbies Traynor
Begbies Traynor is currently ranked as the
number fifteen firm out of the top twenty. They
are headquartered in Manchester England.
The firm currently operates out of 30 offices
across the UK. They specialize in insolvency
and global risk partners. They recently sold
their tax division to Smith & Williamson
16. UHY Hacker Young
UHY Hacker Young is headquartered in
London, and currently operates out of 260
offices across the UK. They are ranked at
sixteen out of the top 20 firms in the world.
The firm specializes in tax planning and
business growth. Although the firm has grown
over the years they haven’t acquiesced or
merged with any other firms in recent history.
17. Kingston Smith
Kingston Smith is number seventeen on the list
of top twenty accountancy firms. They are
currently headquartered in London and has 7
offices across London and the Southeastern
portion of England. In December 2013 the firm
merged with PFK.
18. Zolfo Cooper
Zolfo Cooper specializes in advisory and
restructuring services. They are headquartered
in London and have a plethora of offices
around the globe including the UK, US, and
other countries. They recently merged with
Kroll Inc.
19. MHA MacIntyre Hudson
MHA MacIntyre Hudson is located in
Buckinghamshire, UK. They currently operate
out of 40 offices across the UK.
They specialize in audit, tax, and governance.
The firm most recently merged with Kent firm
Larkings which has added six new partners
and 2 offices.
20. Johnston Carmichael
Johnston Carmichael is number twenty out of
the top 20 accountancy firms in the world.
They are headquartered in Aberdeen, Scotland
and have 11 offices across the region. The
company merged with PFK in September 2013.
The firm specializes in audit, tax, and advisory
services.