Blockchain Assurance Services and Solutions

We help you manage your exposure to crypto assets

Your leading partner of trust in crypto asset activities

Organisations are rapidly changing their way of work and how they capitalise on new technologies. Advances in the digital landscape, including blockchain, have revolutionised the asset exchange between multiple parties. Blockchain uses a decentralised mechanism to establish credibility of transactions and balances without need for a trusted intermediary.

But new opportunities bring along new challenges. The rapid growth in crypto assets and blockchain solutions is accompanied by important trust issues, and one of the greatest challenges is to verify and secure ownership and transactions.

Contact us

«We assist professionals by providing blockchain assurance services to organisations engaged in crypto asset activities. We strengthen confidence in the growing blockchain and DLT ecosystem, empowering organisations to invest and innovate safely.»

Adrian KellerPartner and Leader Audit Blockchain, PwC Switzerland

Our blockchain assurance services and solutions

In the complex world of blockchain and crypto assets, we help you seize the opportunities and address the challenges – by supporting you to implement the processes and controls needed to obtain assurance reports from your blockchain auditor or by auditing these processes and controls and issuing assurance reports. Our strong expertise and technology-enabled audit solutions allow us to conduct financial and regulatory audits for blockchain-enabled businesses.

External Audits

Financial audits
We conduct financial statement audits for all entities, including foundations, banks, custodians, and exchanges, audit reports on stable tokens, asset tokens, and other security tokens to be provided to investors, shareholders, and further stakeholders, as well as audit reports for the physical validator in Liechtenstein.

Accounting services
We provide memorandums for the proposed accounting method (usable as an attachment for the Swiss tax authorities) to ensure security around taxation as well as all related bookkeeping services.

Financial reporting
We assess your financial reporting systems and help you build an infrastructure that satisfies both local and international legal and regulatory requirements.

  • Bastian Stolzenberg
    Director Blockchain Assurance
    PwC Switzerland

Contact us

Trust Services

Crypto storage and trading infrastructure
We advise crypto service providers on the setup and operation of their platforms to become auditable.

Audit readiness for start-ups and ICOs
We perform ICO/STO due diligence assessments enabling potential investors, funds, and banks to make informed decisions. We support you on how to integrate your existing infrastructure with Blockchain and ensure a smooth transition.

Audit reports for blockchain infrastructure
We assess gaps for regulatory licensing or external audit expectations and support your applications. We review your internal control framework and provide control reports (e.g. SSAE16 or ISAE 3402).

Blockchain business model exploration
Selecting an adequate vendor technology and making the right implementation choices is key for future success. We prepare your organisation and workforce for the next wave of digitalisation with training and education offerings.

  • Ralf Hofstetter
    Leader Trust & Transparency Solutions
    PwC Switzerland
  • Jerome Mingard
    Director Blockchain Assurance
    PwC Switzerland

Contact us

Assurance reports

For crypto asset custody solutions, transparency and trust in the virtual asset service provider are crucial because digital assets are lost forever if corresponding private keys are not sufficiently protected. Engaging an independent auditor is thus not only an option but has increasingly become a necessity to ensure the transparency required by the involved stakeholders. With assurance engagements and reports according to ISAE 3000, ISAE 3402, SOC 1 or SOC 2, we help you building trust in outsourced systems and processes.

  • Ralf Hofstetter
    Leader Trust & Transparency Solutions
    PwC Switzerland
  • Jerome Mingard
    Director Blockchain Assurance
    PwC Switzerland

Contact us

Regulation and compliance

Regulatory audit services
We conduct your regulatory audit for FINMA license applications and provide recurring regulatory assurance services for FINMA regulated blockchain/crypto businesses.

Regulatory compliance, reporting and filing
We deliver compliance and reporting services to address anti-money laundering requirements for banks, securities dealers, and asset managers. We support you with legal and regulatory filings and are your external compliance function.

  • Michèle Hess
    Partner, Compliance & Regulation
    PwC Switzerland

Contact us
Halo Solution

«With the launch of the control based crypto audit approach and the Halo crypto solution, we are well positioned to increase trust in the nascent crypto and tokenisation ecosystem by providing audit and other assurance services to clients holding or transacting in crypto assets.»

Adrian Keller Partner and Leader Audit Blockchain, PwC Switzerland

Leading the way into the crypto and blockchain future

At PwC, we have developed a specific audit methodology and supporting tool to provide assurance services for entities engaging in crypto asset transactions. We are the first provider with a tool that complements our audit methodology by independently verifying an entity’s access to a specific blockchain address and independently summarising crypto asset transactions and balances recorded on that address. Our ability to employ such a proprietary tool is unique.

Our blockchain solution: Halo for evidence, safety, and information

Our new Halo crypto solution – an important addition to our Halo suite of auditing tools – combines our PwC audit methodology with a supporting tool to help us provide assurance services for entities engaging in crypto asset transactions, including financial audit and control reporting services (using the ISAE and SOC standards).

In an environment where robust controls have been proven effective throughout a business’ crypto asset activities, our Halo solution:

provides independent audit evidence for the pairing of private key and public address
keeps your private keys safely under your control
securely interrogates the blockchain to independently gather corroborative information on blockchain transactions
Crypto Valley Labs

Crypto Valley Labs

PwC is an Ecosystem Network Partner to CV Labs. Through our partnership we cooperate with CV Labs in providing thought leadership for events, co-author the Global Top 50 report and contribute in the CV Labs Incubator Program.

Crypto Valley Association Member

Crypto Valley Association

Trusted Key Ceremony Guidelines

We joined Crypto Valley Association's cybersecurity working group and took part in creating the new guidelines on trusted key ceremony best practices. These guidelines aim to improve awareness of the importance of protecting digital assets in a safe and secure way.

Download


Online Panel Recording

Watch the presentation of the publication on key ceremony best practices here:

To the recording

2023 Global Cryptocurrency Mergers & Acquisition and Fundraising Report

This report offers an overview of the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and fundraising deals within the global crypto market. In 2022 the total number of deals reached a record high, but the total deal value fell by 70% compared to 2021, mainly due to the current market turmoil. While the US remained the most prominent market for M&A in crypto in 2022, recent regulatory developments may start to drive capital flow towards EMEA and APAC which offer regulatory clarity.

Find out more by downloading the full report:

Download the report

Continue your blockchain journey with us

https://pages.pwc.ch/core-contact-page?form_id=7014L000000Pm6zQAC&embed=true&lang=en

Contact us

Adrian Keller

Adrian Keller

Partner and Leader Audit for Blockchain, PwC Switzerland

Tel: +41 58 792 23 09

Bastian Stolzenberg

Bastian Stolzenberg

Director, Blockchain Assurance, PwC Switzerland

Tel: +41 58 792 6877

Jérôme Mingard

Jérôme Mingard

Director Blockchain Assurance, PwC Switzerland

Tel: +41 58 792 92 04