IAASB

What IAASB does

The International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) is an independent, non-profit international standard-setting body founded in 1978 and headquartered in New York, operating under the International Foundation for Ethics and Audit (IFEA), itself part of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC). IAASB develops and publishes authoritative international standards for auditing, assurance, review engagements, and quality management — including the International Standards on Auditing (ISA), International Standard on Review Engagements (ISRE 2410), International Standards on Assurance Engagements (ISAE), the International Standard on Sustainability Assurance (ISSA 5000), the ISA for Less Complex Entities, and the Quality Management suite (ISQM 1, ISA 220 Revised). These standards are made freely available via iaasb.org and adopted, adapted, or used as benchmarks by national standard-setters in over 50 jurisdictions.

IAASB's standard-setting process is governed by transparent due process with public-interest oversight from the Public Interest Oversight Board (PIOB) and a Monitoring Group. The organization coordinates closely with its sister board IESBA on ethics and sustainability standards, and works with regional partner bodies (Accountancy Europe, CAPA, PAFA, GLENIF, ICAC) plus national standard-setters to support implementation worldwide. It operates an active consultation pipeline (Exposure Drafts, public comment letters, surveys) and a 2024-2027 strategic work plan titled 'Elevating Trust in Audit and Assurance.' Recent focus areas include the launch of ISSA 5000 (Jan 2025) for sustainability assurance and the Technology Quality Management Workstream (Jun 2025) addressing AI-driven tools in audits.

IAASB's revenue model is non-commercial. Standards and publications are distributed free of charge, and the organization is funded through IFAC member-body contributions rather than licensing or transaction fees. Its 11-50 person staff supports a multi-stakeholder governance structure drawing on board members, technical advisors, and expert working groups comprising representatives of Big 4 firms, mid-tier networks, regulators (PCAOB, IOSCO, FRC), academia, and technology vendors. This structure functions as event-driven GTM: stakeholder engagement through public consultations, quarterly board meetings, webinars, and exposure drafts, with jurisdictional standard setters serving as the primary adoption and distribution channel.

Name

IAASB

Legal name

International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board

Website

https://iaasb.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IAASB is the independent non-profit global standard-setter for auditing, assurance, and quality management standards (ISA, ISSA 5000, ISQM), operating under IFEA/IFAC with PIOB oversight and serving auditors, regulators, reporting entities, and investors across 50+ jurisdictions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Standards Publication and Access: IAASB develops and publishes international standards that are made freely available to the public. The organization operates as part of the International Foundation for Ethics and Audit (IFEA) and is funded through IFAC membership contributions from professional accountancy organizations worldwide.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

IAASB develops and publishes high-quality international standards for auditing (ISA), review engagements (ISRE), assurance engagements (ISAE), sustainability assurance (ISSA 5000), and quality management (ISQM 1, ISA 220 Revised). The organization also provides supporting implementation guides, FAQ publications, the ISA for Less Complex Entities, and the consolidated IAASB Handbook, made freely available to auditors, assurance practitioners, regulators, and standard-setting bodies worldwide.

Product overview

IAASB operates as a standards-setting board rather than a product company, developing a portfolio of international standards for audit, assurance, and quality management. The core offering includes International Standards on Auditing (ISA), the International Standard on Sustainability Assurance (ISSA 5000) for sustainability reporting, ISRE 2410 for interim reviews, and the ISA for Less Complex Entities. Supporting these standards are implementation guides, FAQ publications, and technology-focused workstreams. The organization coordinates with IESBA on ethics standards and maintains a Technology Position initiative addressing how emerging technologies, including AI, impact standard application.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ISSA 5000: International Standard on Sustainability Assurance 5000 - General Requirements for Sustainability Assurance Engagements
• ISA for LCE
• ISRE 2410
• ISA 240 (Revised)

Products and services

• International Standards on Auditing (ISA) Comprehensive suite of high-quality international standards for auditing that strengthen public confidence in the global audit and assurance profession, used by audit firms and assurance practitioners worldwide.
• International Standard on Sustainability Assurance (ISSA) 5000 Flagship sustainability assurance standard providing general requirements for sustainability assurance engagements, applicable across various sustainability topics and frameworks, and designed for use by both professional accountants and non-accountant assurance practitioners.
• International Standard on Review Engagements (ISRE 2410) Standard for review of interim financial information performed by the independent auditor of the entity's annual financial statements, providing requirements for interim review engagements and the auditor's review report.
• ISA for Audits of Less Complex Entities (ISA for LCE) Tailored auditing standard specifically designed for audits of financial statements of less complex entities, providing a proportionate approach for smaller businesses.
• Quality Management Standards (ISQM 1, ISA 220 Revised) Standards establishing requirements for firms regarding managing and maintaining quality in audit engagements, including the firm's system of quality management and engagement quality reviews.
• ISSA 5000 Implementation Guide Comprehensive implementation guidance released alongside ISSA 5000 to support practitioners in applying the sustainability assurance standard effectively.
• ISSA 5000 FAQ Publications Series of frequently asked questions addressing implementation issues including materiality application, general matters, EU sustainability reporting relevance, and IESBA Code application.
• 2025 IAASB Handbook Consolidated, multi-volume handbook of IAASB's international standards covering quality management, auditing, review, other assurance, and related services, published annually and freely available.

Quantifiable outcome

• ISSA 5000 adopted or under consideration in 50+ jurisdictions
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and regional.

• International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIAASB works closely with IESBA on joint projects and coordination. Both boards are part of the International Foundation for Ethics and Audit (IFEA) and coordinate on shared standards such as sustainability assurance (ISSA 5000 and IESSA), using the work of experts, and strategic planning. The boards conduct joint surveys and share public interest oversight.
• Public Interest Oversight Board (PIOB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPIOB provides oversight of IAASB and IESBA activities, ensuring the public interest responsiveness of standards. PIOB reviews and oversees the standards-setting process and public interest considerations.
• International Federation of Accountants (IFAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFAC hosts IAASB and provides operational support. IAASB is part of IFEA which is part of IFAC. IFAC membership contributions fund the standard-setting activities.
• Jurisdictional Auditing and Assurance Standard Setters Liaison GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with national standard-setting bodies to support adoption and implementation of ISSA 5000. Includes AUASB (Australia), AASB (Canada), and other national bodies.
• Accountancy EuroperegionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner supporting adoption of ISSA 5000 and coordinating with European jurisdictions on sustainability assurance standards.
• Confederation of Asian and Pacific Accountants (CAPA)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner supporting adoption of ISSA 5000 across Asia-Pacific region.
• Pan African Federation of Accountants (PAFA)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner supporting adoption of ISSA 5000 across African jurisdictions.
• Grupo Latinoamericano de Emisores de Normas de Información Financiera (GLENIF)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner supporting adoption of ISSA 5000 in Latin America.
• Institute of Chartered Accountants of the Caribbean (ICAC)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner supporting adoption of ISSA 5000 in the Caribbean.
• Technology Quality Management Expert GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-stakeholder group supporting the Technology Quality Management Workstream, including practitioners, audit regulators, securities regulators, technology service providers, academics, and financial statement preparers. Members include representatives from Inflo, Forvis Mazars, University of Duisburg-Essen, Caseware, KPMG, PwC, Canadian Public Accountability Board, Deloitte, EY, FRC, BDO, Grant Thornton, Intraprise TechKnowlogies, PCAOB, IOSCO, HSBC, and others.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• International Federation of Accountants (IFAC): Parent organization of the IFEA umbrella that hosts IAASB and IESBA. Operates the global accountancy profession membership that funds IAASB's standard-setting activities; not a direct competitor but the structural enabler of IAASB's operating model.

Emerging players

• European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG): European technical advisor for sustainability and financial reporting standards. Functionally adjacent — EFRAG shapes EU ESRS, which IAASB's ISSA 5000 is designed to assurance; both influence and must align on sustainability assurance practice in the EU.
• International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB): Sister board under IFRS Foundation setting sustainability disclosure standards. ISSA 5000 (IAASB) and ISSB standards are complementary — ISSB sets what is disclosed, IAASB sets how it is assured — making ISSB the most strategically linked peer in the sustainability assurance value chain.

Direct peers

• International Accounting Standards Board (IASB): Sets IFRS Standards under the IFRS Foundation. Sister international standard-setter focused on financial reporting rather than audit; directly comparable governance model, jurisdictional adoption pathway, and global influence footprint.
• International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB): Sister standards-setting board under IFAC addressing public sector accounting and auditing. Direct peer in international standard-setting for audit/assurance, with overlapping due-process methodology and stakeholder engagement model.
• International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA): Sister standards-setting board under the same IFEA parent, addressing professional ethics rather than auditing/assurance. Most direct peer — same governance, due process, funding model, and stakeholder ecosystem; coordinate jointly on sustainability (IESSA) and shared projects.

Regional players

• Accountancy Europe: Regional body representing 50+ European professional accountancy organizations. Comparable professional-body engagement function at European regional level; coordinates European adoption of ISSA 5000 and IAASB standards.

Broad incumbents

• American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) — Auditing Standards Board: US private-issuer auditing standard-setter (SAS/SSARS) within the AICPA. Comparable audit-standard-setting function for the largest non-PIE audit market in the world; engaged in parallel private-company standard work.
• Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB): US audit oversight board setting auditing standards for US public-company audits. Comparable mandate in audit standard-setting for a single (but very large) jurisdiction; participates in IAASB's Technology Quality Management Workstream.
• Financial Reporting Council (FRC) UK: UK regulator and audit standard-setter (issues ISA (UK) by adopting IAASB ISAs). Comparable jurisdiction-level standard-setting and audit oversight role; sits on IAASB technology workstream.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IAASB_News
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCwM6ao9Id3G35NNxGLgf7mg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iaasb

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about IAASB