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.
Na prática
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.
O equívoco comum
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.