Independent accounting firm, Marcum Berstein & Pinchuk (MBP), announced it has opened a new office in Singapore’s Marina Bay Financial Centre precinct, to become the only audit firm with a dedicated Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) team in Asia.

The move was spurred on by the firm’s growing client base of Southeast Asian businesses and the increasing demand for audit and advisory services in the region, as well as access to global capital markets through an Initial Public Offering (IPO) or SPAC merger.

“MBP is uniquely positioned to support companies from Southeast Asia that are seeking a pathway to the U.S. capital markets,” Drew Bernstein, co-Chair of MarcumBP, said.

“The Southeast Asia region is becoming a financial hub for Asia with a strong pipeline of venture capital and private equity-backed innovative companies.

“As these emerging ‘unicorns’ consider how to sustain their growth, many are looking to the U.S. markets to optimise their valuations and gain ongoing access to deep liquidity pools. MBP offers an integrated ‘one-firm solution’ to provide audits that are U.S. GAAP and PCAOB-compliant, backed by a team with high-level technical proficiency and extensive experience in the region.”

Pearl Peng, Managing Director of MBP, has also relocated to Singapore to lead and support the expansion of the firm in Southeast Asia.

“With our strong base of experience auditing Chinese issuers listed in the U.S. market, MBP has expanded our client roster to include Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and other Southeast Asia countries,” Neil Pinchuk, co-Chair of MarcumBP, said.

“We continue to see strong demand for our services in China as companies navigate an evolving regulatory environment and need to sustain the confidence of international investors. As we advance this expansion, MBP seeks to set the standard for responsiveness and audit quality in the region.”