New Report Finds Many CAS Firms Stymied by Technology Limitations
Outdated systems are blocking insight, slowing workflows, and putting some firms at a competitive disadvantage.
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PE Wars: The CPA Platform Economy Is Concentrating Fast
After hundreds of deals, the data show a gravitational pull toward a handful of buyers now driving the profession’s future.
Five Top Power Players
CPA Trendlines PE Deal Tracker: Mega-aggregators dominate the money flow as the race tightens between Ascend, Aprio, Crete, Eisner and Ryan. (Data: March 31, 2026)
By CPA Trendlines Research
The frantic pace of deal-making this past March marks a turning point. What had been described as a consolidation phase has matured into something more defined and more consequential: a platform-driven market in which a relatively small number of repeat acquirers are shaping the profession’s future.
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As the first quarter of 2026 closes, the story is no longer simply about transactions. It is about structure. The question has shifted from who is buying whom to which investment models, operating systems, and capital strategies will define the next decade of accounting.
For years, the prevailing narrative held that private equity would democratize the profession. Capital, it was said, would spread broadly across hundreds of firms, opening access to institutional funding that had never before been available. But the data tells a different story.
CAS Tech Gap Widens as Firms Race Toward Real-Time Advisory
New report finds outdated systems are limiting insight, slowing workflows, and putting firms at a competitive disadvantage.
By CPA Trendlines
Accounting firms that fail to modernize their technology stacks risk losing ground as client accounting services shift rapidly toward real-time advisory, according to a new report from Ace Cloud Hosting and CPA Trendlines.
Download the full report here
The report finds that outdated, spreadsheet-heavy workflows and disconnected systems are no longer just inefficient—they are actively limiting firms’ ability to deliver insight, manage risk, and compete in advisory services.
“Technology is no longer an IT decision. It is a strategic one,” the report states.
Advisory Demands Real-Time Data
The sharpest divide is emerging around data speed. While compliance work can still run on monthly or quarterly cycles, advisory services depend on continuous data. Firms relying on delayed reporting are producing outdated insights, weakening decision-making and client value.
From Deloitte Spinout to Market Disruptor: Streamworks Targets the Mid-Tier Audit and Assurance Software Gap
Rebranded from Auvenir, the independent platform doubles down on AI, quality management, and underserved firms.
By CPA Trendlines
Auvenir, the audit and compliance technology platform originally developed within Deloitte, has officially spun out as an independent company under a new name: Streamworks Tech.
The move marks a strategic shift—not just in ownership, but in market focus, product direction, and long-term vision.
“Ultimately, both sides agreed that… the customers are in the best hands, and the technology is in the best hands, with us continuing forward [as an independent company],” said Neeraj Sharma, chief operating officer of Streamworks Tech. READ MORE →
K-1 Bottlenecks Stretch Busy Season, Forcing Firms to Rethink Tax Workflows
More than 50% of K-1 work now hits in a three-month crunch.
By CPA Trendlines
A growing backlog of Schedule K-1 data is reshaping the tax calendar and forcing accounting firms to rethink how they manage people, processes and technology, according to a new industry guide.
DOWNLOAD FULL REPORT: Tax Transformation Best Practices in Alternative Investments – A Step-by-Step Guidebook for Modernizing K-1 Processes – Available here
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More than half of all K-1 aggregation work — 52.8% — is now completed within a compressed three-month window, with 81% finished over six months, reflecting persistent delays in the K-1 ecosystem.
The result: the traditional January-through-April busy season has effectively stretched into a second peak running July through October, driven by late-arriving partnership data and expanded reporting requirements. READ MORE →