Rashmiranjan Panda 
Seminar on “Bank Audit 2026 – Practical Challenges and Emerging Issues” organised at ICAI Bhawan
Bhubaneswar: A full-day seminar on “Bank Audit 2026 – Practical Challenges and Emerging Issues” was organised today at ICAI Bhawan by the Bhubaneswar Branch of the Eastern India Regional Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), in association with the Auditing & Assurance Standards Board.
The inaugural session began with a welcome address by Branch Chairman CA. (Dr.) Goutam Lenka, who highlighted the growing complexities in bank audits and the need for continuous upskilling among professionals.
Seminar Chairman CA. Arun Kumar Verma spoke on the practical challenges faced by auditors, while Special Guest CA. Prashant Panda, Statutory Central Auditor of Punjab National Bank, stressed the importance of maintaining professional scepticism and strict adherence to auditing standards.
Chief Guest CA. Sujoy Dutta, General Manager, UCO Bank, shared insights on emerging risks in the banking sector and underscored the crucial role of auditors in ensuring transparency and financial discipline.
The technical sessions featured expert speakers including Dr. P. Siva Rama Prasad from Hyderabad, who spoke on key risk areas and audit approaches in bank branch audits, and CA. Shweta Jayant Jain from Mumbai, who discussed practical issues in the audit of advances.
The seminar concluded with a vote of thanks by CA. Soumya Sunil Sahoo, Secretary of the Bhubaneswar Branch. Participants described the seminar as highly informative and relevant to current audit practices.
The programme witnessed enthusiastic participation from more than 300 chartered accountants and audit professionals from across the region. The event was coordinated by CA. (Dr.) Prithvi Ranjan Parhi, Vice Chairman, along with Managing Committee Members CA. Gagan Bihari Das, CA. Pranab Kishore Das and CA. Saswat Tripathy.
