Reserve Attestation
A report by an accounting firm confirming what an issuer's reserves held on a specific date, based largely on information the issuer supplied.
Attestations are performed under professional standards for examination or agreed-upon procedures work, in which the accountant checks a defined set of assertions rather than forming an opinion on a whole business. They are typically issued monthly and describe holdings as of a single reporting date, which says nothing about the days before or after. The scope is narrow by design: an attestation generally does not evaluate the issuer's other liabilities, related-party exposures, internal controls, or ability to continue operating. Readers should check the reporting date, the standard applied, and exactly which assertions the accountant tested.
En pratique
A monthly attestation may confirm the composition and market value of reserves at month end without examining the issuer's liabilities or the rest of its finances.
Le malentendu courant
An attestation is not an audit: it covers one date, relies substantially on issuer-provided data, and expresses no opinion on the issuer's financial statements as a whole.