EY announces blockchain audit technology

By Digital News Asia May 16, 2018

Pilot will lay the foundation for automated audit tests
The technology is built to support testing of multiple cryptocurrencies

EY announces blockchain audit technology

EY ANNOUNCES the pilot of the EY Blockchain Analyzer, a suite of blockchain audit technologies that enhances the ability to perform an in-depth review of cryptocurrency business transactions.

The proprietary technology is designed to support EY audit teams as they perform audits for companies using cryptocurrencies and will lay the foundation for testing of blockchain assets, liabilities, equity and smart contracts as companies adopt blockchain technologies.

The EY Blockchain Analyzer is designed to facilitate EY audit teams in gathering an organisation’s entire transaction data from multiple blockchain ledgers.

Auditors can then interrogate the data and perform analysis of transactions, reconciling and identifying transaction outliers.

The technology has been designed to support testing of multiple cryptocurrencies including BitCoin, Ether, BitCoin Cash, LiteCoin, and a number of other crypto-assets managed or traded by exchanges or asset management firms.

EY Global Assurance innovation leader Jeanne Boillet, says, “As digital technology continues to advance, we are focused on developing innovative approaches to the audit process and providing confidence and trust to the capital markets.

“As companies are also focusing on how they embed technologies like blockchain into their financial processes, we are innovating the audit to meet their evolving needs and those of investors.”

This advanced blockchain technology has been developed utilising experience gained when working with global clients in the US, Europe and Japan including investment funds, exchange platforms, cryptocurrency mining companies and wallet providers.

EY Global Innovation blockchain leader Paul Brody, says, “Understanding exchanges and cryptocurrencies is the first step in our ability to develop tools to test various blockchain-based business contracts. These technologies lay the foundation for automated audit tests of blockchain assets, liabilities, equities and smart contracts.

“EY Blockchain Analyzer will be utilised by the auditor to analyse transactions on a blockchain and help provide insight to the finance function.”

The next phase will include multiple pilots to scale the technology, including the development of customised regulatory compliance and reporting nodes.