What is concurrent audit?
Concurrent audit is the examination of transactions and processes at or near the time they take place. It focuses on early detection and prevention of errors, irregularities, fraud, and non-compliance, rather than only post-facto review at year-end. It is widely used in banks, NBFCs, brokers, and large corporate operations.
Which entities are required to have concurrent audit?
Banks are required to put in place concurrent audit systems as per RBI guidelines, generally covering large branches, treasury, forex, and other critical functions based on prescribed thresholds. NBFCs, cooperative banks, brokers, and certain large corporates also use concurrent audit either due to regulatory expectations or as part of their internal control framework.
Who can conduct concurrent audit?
Concurrent audit is generally conducted by Chartered Accountant firms empanelled by the bank, NBFC, or other regulated entity. The auditor must have relevant experience in banking, NBFC, or broker operations and meet the eligibility and rotation norms prescribed by the regulator and the engaging entity.
What is the typical scope of concurrent audit at a bank branch?
Scope generally covers cash and clearing, deposits, advances, KYC and AML, trade finance, forex, charges and revenue, expenses, customer service, statutory and regulatory returns, suspense and sundry accounts, fraud-prone areas, and review of significant policies followed at the branch.
How is concurrent audit different from internal and statutory audit?
Concurrent audit focuses on continuous, transaction-level review with quick reporting. Internal audit takes a periodic, risk-based view of the entire entity, including processes and controls. Statutory audit is an annual, independent examination of financial statements for true and fair view and regulatory compliance. The three are complementary and together strengthen overall assurance.
How are concurrent audit findings reported?
Findings are typically reported through periodic concurrent audit reports, exception MIS, and severity-based rating systems. Critical observations are escalated to controlling offices and audit committees, with formal closure tracked through corrective action and follow-up audits.
How is technology used in concurrent audit?
Modern concurrent audit relies heavily on data analytics, exception reports, and continuous controls monitoring. Tools are used to identify outliers in advances, deposits, charges, and transactions, enabling auditors to focus on high-risk areas instead of relying solely on sample-based manual checks.