What are the Big 4 ? – TechTarget Definition (2024)

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What are the Big 4 ? – TechTarget Definition? ›

The Big 4 are the four largest international accounting and professional services firms. They are Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC.

The Big Four are the four largest professional services networks in the world: Deloitte, EY, KPMG, and PwC. They are the four largest global accounting networks as measured by revenue.

The Big Four are the four largest global accounting firms—Deloitte, Ernst & Young (EY), PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), and Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler (KPMG), as measured by revenue.

The global professional services firms EY, PwC, Deloitte and KPMG make up 'the Big 4'. These firms provide consulting services in four core areas, including strategy. The strategy teams of the Big 4 are small, elite units, each with only a few thousand consultants globally.

In general, PwC and Deloitte are considered the most prestigious of the Big 4. If you ask most people about prestige, they'll probably rank PwC/Deloitte > EY > KPMG. This is reflected in pricing, for example. Big 4 will compete with each other on pricing.

What is the Big Four? Big Four refers to the top four accounting firms globally that audit more than 80% of US public companies, including Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG, and Ernst & Young. For these accounting firms, this term is used because of its huge size, good reputation, and worldwide reach in the field.

Big 4 audit clients are what arguably make the largest audit companies in the world worth working for. These companies, as you may already know, are Deloitte, PwC, Ernst & Young, and KPMG.

Broad knowledge of business and stakeholder management

Their analytical skills and financial knowledge in particular give them an edge since they always must be up to date with the latest legislation and regulations for their clients. Another advantage is that Big 4 professionals work for many diverse types of clients.

Who are the big 4 companies? The “Big 4” is a term used to reference the four largest accounting firms: Deloitte, Ernst & Young (EY), KPMG, and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Their gargantuan size and global reach put them in a unique position to shape the finance industry, drive innovation, and influence regulations.

They are the four largest accounting firms by revenue. They are Deloitte, Ernst & Young (EY), PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), and Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler (KPMG), read more about each below. In addition, these mammoth organizations advise on tax and offer a wide range of management and assurance services.

Who is the biggest of the Big 4? ›

Deloitte. The largest of the Big 4, Deloitte, earned $59.3 billion in revenue in 2022.

The big 4 companies in India are well-established firms with numerous branches spread across India's major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad. They serve a variety of clients that range from multinational corporations to small businesses.

Work-Life Balance Improvement Strategies

For example, PwC offers its employees flexibility in structuring their schedules, taking time off when needed, and working reduced hours or remotely at times. The firm also focuses on initiatives around physical and mental wellbeing.

History of the Big 4 accounting firms

In the late 1990s, the Big 6 became the Big 5 when Price Waterhouse merged with Coopers and Lybrand to form PricewaterhouseCoopers (later stylised as PwC). Five became four in 2001 after the insolvency of Arthur Andersen due to the firm's involvement in the Enron scandal.

The Big 4 originally actually started as a handful of smaller accounting firms. Through a flurry of consolidations through mergers and acquisitions throughout the 20th century, these firms eventually consolidated themselves into the Big 4.

In 1919, the Big Four met in Paris to negotiate the Treaty: Lloyd George of Britain, Vittorio Emanuele Orlando of Italy, Georges Clemenceau of France, and Woodrow Wilson of the U.S. The Paris Peace Conference was an international meeting convened in January 1919 at Versailles just outside Paris.