Global accountant confidence rises, CPA licensure rules shift, and AICPA/CIMA debut resilience toolkit

Welcome to our weekly digest—a space to reflect on where the accounting profession is headed and how it’s evolving in real time. Each week, we bring you a curated roundup of recent headlines, ideas, and innovations shaping the future of the industry.

From emerging technologies and shifting talent pipelines, to strategic mergers and evolving client expectations, the profession is in motion. Our goal is to surface stories that matter—whether you’re leading a firm, advising clients, or just ruminating about what comes next.

In last week’s issue, Accounting Today’s 2025 Best Firms to Work For list, new legislation streamlining tax relief for disaster-hit areas, and the “modernization Catch‑22” in finance. This week, we look at how agentic AI is reshaping finance operations, NASBA’s and AICPA’s formalization of a major nationwide CPA licensure shift, and what the first global confidence uptick in over a year says about the profession’s outlook. Plus, we spotlight fresh thinking on leadership, client service models, and the tools shaping how firms work.

Let's dive in.

🔍 Top headlines

AICPA and CIMA launch business resilience toolkit for finance leaders

The AICPA and CIMA have released a Business Resilience Toolkit designed to help finance leaders navigate economic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions, and rapid technological change. The resource brings together frameworks, diagnostic questions, and practical tools to support organizations in three areas: scanning for emerging risks, gauging operational impacts, and adjusting strategy. It addresses several themes, including economic and policy risk, integrated thinking, and tracking performance drivers, all with an eye toward quicker, more informed decision-making. Tom Hood, business growth and engagement executive vice president at AICPA-CIMA, noted that with “record numbers of businesses failing or under financial pressure,” financial expertise can often be the dividing line between survival and failure. The toolkit reflects a growing expectation that accountants and finance professionals won’t just report on conditions, but also help shape the response, offering a more strategic lens on risk, resilience, and opportunity in an unpredictable landscape.

Global accountants are showing an uptick in confidence—but risks loom large

Accountant sentiment showed its first lift in more than a year, according to the latest ACCA–IMA Global Economic Conditions Survey, but the mood remains fragile. Q2 2025 data showed modest gains in North America and Western Europe, offset by a sharp confidence drop in Asia Pacific, as geopolitical instability rose to the top of the global risk agenda for the first time in the survey’s history. Cost pressures eased slightly, though they remain elevated in key markets, and new orders and capital spending softened, but stayed near historical averages. The survey paints a mixed picture: the global economy isn’t on the brink, but ongoing trade tensions, tariffs, and policy uncertainty continue to cast a shadow over the outlook. For those tracking business health, the report highlights a subtle shift from pure economic worry toward a broader unease over how external shocks ripple through operations and strategy.

NASBA and AICPA approve 120-hour CPA pathway in major licensing shift

In May, the AICPA and NASBA approved amendments to the Uniform Accountancy Act  (UAA) to create a new CPA licensure pathway: 120 credit hours, two years of experience, and the CPA Exam. Now, with the ninth edition of the UAA officially released, that pathway has moved beyond policy framework into something fully codified, moving what had been a patchwork of state‑level experiments into a national model for lawmakers and regulators. The update is significant because it signals to all 55 US licensing jurisdictions that they can adopt the change with consistency, while keeping the 150‑hour route intact for those who prefer it. The UAA revisions also expand cross‑state mobility and reinforce practice privileges for CPAs licensed under previous standards. Together, these changes formalize a shift that’s been brewing for years, and mark a coordinated effort to ease the profession’s pipeline challenges while maintaining regulatory rigor.

💻Technology & innovation

Karbon launches client portal to streamline collaboration

Karbon has rolled out Karbon for Clients, a global client portal designed to simplify how firms interact with clients, from onboarding to ongoing service delivery. The platform integrates with Karbon’s practice management software, linking client communications, documents, and e-signatures directly into workflows. Early adopters report less admin work and faster client response times, a sign that the tool may ease one of accounting’s most persistent bottlenecks: fragmented communication. The launch builds on Karbon’s recent advances in tax workflows and AI-powered summarization, signaling the company’s continued push to unify the client experience with automation at its core.

Intuit adds agentic AI to Intuit Enterprise Suite

Intuit unveiled major updates to its Enterprise Suite, debuting AI agents that automate bookkeeping, reporting, reconciliation, and payments. These agents act as if they are virtual team members, delivering done‑for‑you workflows that free up time for higher‑level decisions. They don’t just execute tasks; they analyze patterns, flag anomalies, and even suggest next steps, turning routine processes into sources of insight. Other enhancements include deeper multi-entity reporting, standardized charts of accounts, and AI‑powered analytics that reveal trends across complex datasets. These updates further strengthen the business intelligence capabilities of Intuit Enterprise Suite, helping firms and mid‑market businesses plan more strategically, spot opportunities sooner, and grow without unnecessary cost or complexity.

Aprio accelerates $300m AI strategy with TimeCredit acquisition

Aprio has acquired TimeCredit AI, a startup from the 2024 AICPA and CPA.com Accelerator. The move is the latest step in the company’s five‑year, $300-million investment in AI and automation. TimeCredit’s platform specializes in intelligent automation for audit, tax, reporting, and advisory workflows—capabilities Aprio will fold into its broader services. The deal isn’t just about new tech; it embeds TimeCredit’s leadership, including co‑founder Ndonga Sagnia, into Aprio’s AI transformation strategy. The move signals how firms are increasingly merging traditional expertise with emerging tech ecosystems, aiming to deliver faster insights, reengineer processes, and build workplaces where human talent is supported by automation, not replaced by it.

🧠 Practice management

Heart-led leadership is becoming a business imperative

Too many leaders chase metrics at the expense of people, and short-term mindset might be undermining long-term performance. Experienced healthcare leader and CEO of Vetncare, Matthew J. Kirchner, makes the case for “heart-led leadership,” where empathy, trust, and genuine engagement form the foundation of culture and strategy. Research backs up the approach: Companies led with empathy are more than 4x likely to outperform peers and see 30% higher revenue growth. For firms under pressure to grow, the lesson here is to treat empathy as more of a strategy, not a soft skill. Doing so can ultimately strengthen retention, boost motivation, and fuel sustainable performance.

CAS and tax integration strengthens client relationships

Accounting firms are increasingly finding that client advisory services (CAS) and tax shouldn’t live in separate silos. Vinícius Alves de Melo, a seasoned accountant and CEO of Carlos Contábil, highlights how integrating the two allows firms to offer more holistic guidance—from compliance to forecasting—and to package those services in recurring, predictable models. In markets such as Brazil, the approach has already shown how blending CAS and tax builds trust, reduces risk, and drives measurable client satisfaction. For firms everywhere, it’s a reminder that advisory isn’t just an add-on; woven together with tax and other core services, it’s a strategy for deeper client partnerships, steadier revenue, and long-term differentiation.

📅 Events, podcasts & webinars

WATCH

In the Know: Bill Pay limits

This episode of In the Know spotlights new flexibility in QuickBooks Bill Pay. Accountants and their clients can now request personalized processing limits directly in the product, removing restrictive daily caps and giving firms more control over cash flow. The update streamlines approvals and adds transparency around limit status, meaning fewer payment bottlenecks and a smoother AP experience for clients.

🗣️ Quote of the week

The future of accounting is unfolding every day, and it’s being shaped by professionals like you who are exploring new ideas, testing what works, and finding better ways to support clients. Whether you’re growing your skill set, expanding your services, or simply staying curious about what’s next, we hope this issue gives you a few useful sparks.

We’ll be back next week with more insights, trends, and tools to help you keep moving forward—one step, one win, and one update at a time.