It’s been another eventful week for news, analysis and opinion pieces across our specialist industries. Here are just a handful of the stories that have got us talking in the SRGEurope offices this week.

London high street gambling numbers down, while Online Gaming continues to grow

London Loves Business

It’s been reported that some of the leading names in bookmaking are experiencing slow growth on London’s high street, as more and more people turn to online methods when it comes to betting. The Financial Times reported revenues on the high street to be down as much as 2 per cent for some retailers. However, a fall in over-the-counter revenues is far from bad news due to the significant growth of online alternatives. The same report stated that William Hill had seen a 16 per cent growth of its online arm, while Ladbrokes Coral has seen an 18 per cent revenue increase from its online platforms.

These Online Gaming figures follow the November 2016 report issued by the UK Gambling Commission which revealed that online gambling was the largest gambling sector in Great Britain, accounting for 33 per cent of all gambling in the country. It also comes off the back of news that London-based JackpotJoy Group PLC experienced a year-on-year revenue increase of 11 per cent for the first quarter of 2017 – further great news for the UK’s Online Gaming industry. Looking for your next career opportunity in Online Gaming? Take a look at the latest roles we have on offer.

Looking beyond London: How Scotland can benefit from Brexit

FX-MM

This is a really interesting article penned by Conor Ryan, senior market advisor for financial services in Enterprise Ireland. In it, he looks at the opportunity for a collaboration between the Irish and Scottish financial industries. Aside from presenting an interesting prospect for financial institutions in both countries, we particularly liked how Ryan highlighted Scotland’s established position as the UK’s second main financial hub outside of London.

For some time now Edinburgh, in particular, has become a hotspot for financial professionals and employs somewhere in the region of 52,800 people. The city is home to a number of the world’s top 20 financial organisations and provides ample opportunities for finance professionals looking to take the first or next step in their career. Interested? Take a look at all of the roles we currently have available in Scotland.

The changing face of auditors

Finance Monthly

This article reports the discussion at this year’s Robert M. Trueblood Seminars about the changing face of the auditing profession. President of the Deloitte Foundation and principal of Deloitte Consulting LLP, Tonie Leatherberry explained that tomorrow’s auditors will do so much more than financial reporting. He said: “Future auditors will need up-to-date technical and data science skills to go along with their deep industry and cross-functional expertise. Moreover, they will need to sharpen their analytical skills and ability to interpret data, and demonstrate strong business acumen, superior communication skills and leadership.”

As specialists in recruiting a range of financial auditing roles, we agree that evolving technology has led to the profession changing rapidly in recent years. Both data analytics and artificial intelligence have streamlined processes, which has provided auditors with greater insights and the ability to add more value to businesses. In turn, this has changed the perception that businesses have towards auditors, with an acknowledgement that they are able to help improve the overall performance of a business. What do you think? We’d love to hear from audit professionals on how their career has evolved. If you’re looking for your next big opportunity in auditing, take a look at the latest roles available today.

Make sure you stay tuned to our blog for more industry news and insights or get in touch with our expert team today for more information about how SRGEurope can help you.