The UK has six unique designations (often referred to as the big six): Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ireland. The associations have attempted to merge in the past and do collaborate in the Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies (CCAE), which is the UK representative in dealings with the European Commission. In JuIy, CIMA, CIPFA and ICAEW announced that they had initiated "exploratory talks" toward consolidation. The influence of such a merger would be remarkable. It would represent in excess of 200,000 accountants and more than 85,000 students. It would also represent a number of specialty streams in the accounting profession.

Acquisitions & mergers