Annual financial reports are the best way to convey the financial situation of companies to different stakeholders. To fulfill their expected objectives, financial reports should be issued on time. The objective of this research is to study and investigate the effect of audit firm reputation and busyness on financial reporting timeliness of the nonfinancial companies listed on the Egyptian stock exchange (EGX), and whether this effect might differ according to client complexity and the floatation decision of the exchange rate of the Egyptian pound which took place at the end of 2016.

Based on a sample of 820 firm-year observations during the period from 2017 to 2021, the researchers found empirical evidence that audit firm reputation has a negative and significant effect on financial reporting timeliness, while audit firm busyness contributes significantly towards issuing timelier financial reports. Furthermore, client complexity was proven to delay the issuance of financial reporting, however, the negative effect of client complexity on financial reporting timeliness is outweighed by the positive effect of small audit firm reputation. Additionally, the researchers didn't find evidence concerning the moderating effect of client complexity on the relationship between audit firm busyness and financial reporting timeliness nor the moderating effect of the exchange rate floatation on the aforementioned relationships.

This research adds empirical evidence to the literature focusing on the financial reporting quality in the developing countries and the audit related characteristics affecting financial reporting timeliness. It is of interest to academics, company management and stakeholders, auditors, and regulators.