In the globalized world we find ourselves, accountants are expected to have thorough knowledge of the financials of companies and to be familiar with the numerous economic and political forces at work. The risks are too many. They certainly need to have in-depth knowledge of the drivers of performance and provide independent opinion on the opportunities and risk profiles of companies.
It is the quality, reliability and objectivity of such information which stakeholders rely 2/4  BIS central bankers' speeches  upon to make informed judgment and allocate resources efficiently, which is so essential to the process of economic development. Let me digress to remind the accountants present here of the BAI Group episode.