Perspectives on the development of digital techniques and tools with implications for accounting and financial audit services

" Objective - The current empirical research provides a bibliometric analysis over a five-year period in the field of changes generated by digital transformation in the accounting and auditing profession. It examines the evolution of the field, identifying key contributors through publications, while tracking changes and trends through the opportunities and threats related to the introduction of digital technologies. The study also highlights critical implications, especially in assessing the long-term effects on the need for curriculum changes for new competencies, the need for certifications and the creation of regulatory frameworks. Methodology/Technique – Bibliometric analysis was carried out using data from the Web of Science database, through performance analysis and specific scientific mapping techniques. VOSviewer software was used to analyze co-occurrence and obtain thematic clusters, providing an overview of the evolution of digital transformation in the accounting and auditing profession. Through the analysis of opportunities and threats, 4 groups resulted: I. Technological Field (Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data), II. Accounting and Financial Reporting Field, III. Audit and Assurance Field and IV. The Governance and Regulation Domain resulted in a complex set of information related to adaptation (benefits/costs), new security requirements and the prospect of appropriate governance and regulatory frameworks. Findings – Current research has adapted in response to technical and economic priorities regarding the need for firms to perform and the challenges generated by digital technology at a global level. Initial studies focused on the effect among profile companies (large and small), highlighting the costs and impossibility of adaptation for small firms, but also on ethical and governance issues. Since then, attention has expanded because of advances in technology, reflecting growing concerns about professional replacement and the need for accountability, while emphasizing the need for stricter enforcement of repetitive activities to increase performance. Subsequently, the debates have stabilized with arguments for and against showing that the accounting and auditing profession will not disappear but will only undergo a transformation through additional requirements related to new skills. Although there are differences in size at the firm level, development at the national level, but also in regulation in the field, the study shows us that the opportunities are multiple and exploration continues. Novelty – This study presents empirical evidence on the evolution of research in digital technology applicable to the accounting and auditing profession over five years, being a robust reference framework for future research, providing valuable information to universities, which can update their study programs to align them with the current needs of the profession, and providing employers with a solid basis to assess future trends and the need to align both the material and human resources base through a gradual correlation with new competencies among professionals/employees. Type of Paper - Empirical"