Congress Passes the “Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act”

Foreign public companies listed in the United States may soon face delisting if their auditors cannot comply with US investor protection laws. On December 2, 2020, the US House of Representatives passed by voice vote the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (HFCAA), which would require auditors of foreign public companies to allow the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) to inspect their audit work papers for audits of non-US operations as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (Sarbanes-Oxley). If a company’s auditors fail to comply for three consecutive years, then the company’s shares would be prohibited from trading in the United States. The legislation passed the Senate in May and is now being sent to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it into law.