Blockchain-Driven Change in Auditing: Qualitative Insights from the Big Four

Wissem Ajili Ben Youssef, Najla Bouebdallah and Meriem El Bouhali

Chapter 11 in Innovating Finance for a Sustainable Future:Integrating FinTech, Blockchain and Generative AI, 2026, pp 331-359 from World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.

Abstract: This chapter examines the impact of blockchain technology on financial auditing within the Big Four accounting firms, focusing on identifying its key benefits and challenges. To explore how blockchain is transforming audit practices, we conducted qualitative research using semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Out of 500 auditors contacted, 65 participated in the study. Thematic analysis of the recorded and transcribed interviews was performed using QDA Miner, a qualitative data analysis software. The findings confirm that blockchain technology has a significant and positive influence on financial auditing. Auditors from the Big Four recognize blockchain as both innovative and disruptive, with the potential to enhance audit transparency, security, and reliability, core attributes aligned with the technology’s foundational principles. Moreover, blockchain contributes to greater audit efficiency and effectiveness, improving audit quality and auditor performance while reducing the risk of errors and fraud, thereby increasing overall audit assurance. This study offers a unique perspective by capturing the views of Big Four auditors, who are among the early adopters of blockchain. The qualitative approach provides a nuanced understanding of how audit professionals perceive the technology’s impact on their work. However, the research also highlights three significant challenges: the need to upskill auditors and adapt training programs, the necessity to revise audit standards and regulatory frameworks, and the dependency on clients’ adoption of blockchain systems. These insights offer valuable implications for audit firms, regulators, and educators seeking to navigate the evolving landscape of blockchain-enabled auditing.

Keywords: Generative Artificial Intelligence; Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE); ESG Factors; Sustainability; Blockchain; Supply Chain Finance; Trade Finance; FinTech; Customer Loyalty; Mobile Banking; Perceived Risk; Trust; Personalization; Digital Banking Adoption; Customer Behavior; Digital Innovation; Retail Banking; CSR; Foreign Ownership; Digital Transformation; Bank Performance; Big Four; Auditing; Intention to Use; Risk Assessment; Risk Mitigation; CAMELS-Based Framework; Banking; Qualitative Approach; Quantitative Approach; Case Study; Vietnam Banking Sector (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: G21 G23 G28 O33 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/pdf/10.1142/9781800618572_0011 (application/pdf)
https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/9781800618572_0011 (text/html)
Ebook Access is available upon purchase.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wsi:wschap:9781800618572_0011

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in World Scientific Book Chapters from World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Tai Tone Lim ().