PYMNTS
AUGUST 12, 2016
In this week’s edition of PYMNTS’ Weekly Tech Center Roundup , we check out a small country with a huge potential to emerge as one of Europe’s premier FinTech spaces. Before we jump into the post, here are a few quick facts about the Netherlands and its tech scene: . The Netherlands is estimated to have a population of 17 million. The country’s GDP was approximately $880 billion in 2014.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 29, 2016
With the rise of Amazon Prime and eCommerce , more packages are being delivered to customers’ homes than ever before. It’s now possible to order everything online for in-home delivery from groceries to pet food to toilet paper, and consumers can usually get those items delivered to their doorstep overnight or in a manner of hours. The U.S. Postal Service delivered 4.5 billion packages in 2015, a big jump from the 3.3 billion in packages it delivered to customers in 2011, and now accounts for abo
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PYMNTS
AUGUST 5, 2016
There’s no question that mobile has established itself as a default channel as far as the average consumer is concerned, and the growing cottage industry of turnkey software-as-a-service startups proves that getting on mobile is as ironclad a requirement as it gets in commerce. But starting up a mobile operation is just one half of a potentially profitable coin.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 17, 2016
Selfies or vacation photos are apparently a big business. Seriously. Pixlee , a San Francisco-based startup, allows retailers or brands to market directly to customers by using their own photos through curating them from social media or having the customer directly submit them for use, which the company says leads to a more authentic and engaging shopping experience for consumers.
Speaker: Amanda Adams, Fractional CFO, CPA
Are you ready to elevate your accounting processes for 2025? 🚀 Join us for an exclusive webinar led by Amanda Adams, a seasoned fractional CFO and CPA passionate about transforming back-office operations for finance teams. This session will cover critical best practices and process improvements tailored specifically for accounting professionals.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 3, 2016
Walletron , the bill presentment and payment capabilities firm, announced a partnership with Speedpay , the payment services company, in which Speedpay will offer Walletron’s moBills. With moBills, biller clients can send personalized notifications and bill information and enhance the payment experience to customers’ smartphones without them having to download an app.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 22, 2016
There was a time when it seemed that ubiquity would become the focal point of full-service and mobile payments systems. Experts believed that universally accepted mobile wallets from trusted companies like Apple or Samsung would dominate the new wave of payments. That belief was perhaps misguided, according to Stephen Goodrich, president and CEO of ZipLine, the company that built the loyalty and mobile payments app known as SmartPay for popular convenience and gas chain Cumberland Farms.
Accountant Advocate brings together the best content for small business accounting professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 24, 2016
Popular announced on Tuesday (Aug. 23) that it has become the second financial institution in the U.S. and the first in Puerto Rico to offer its credit cards for use in Cuba. In a press release , Popular said the Mastercard credit cards of its two banking subsidiaries, Banco Popular de Puerto Rico and Popular Community Bank, can be used at any of Cuba’s authorized merchants and ATMs throughout the country.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 3, 2016
Despite the fraud benefits that EMV has provided to retailers with terminals on their countertops, there has been one consistent refrain from retailers and their customers alike: It takes too long. Too long for terminals to be tested and certified and too long for consumers to insert their card and wait for the transaction to be approved. Help has arrived.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 24, 2016
With advancements in technology, parents are doing their homework online before making purchases online and in-store. The Vantiv Back-to-School Report — Special Edition takes a look at the latest back-to-school shopping trends and includes hot-off-the-presses insights from Google. Twenty years ago, taking a trip to the mall or retail store for some good old-fashioned back-to-school shopping was the norm when it came to getting new outfits and supplies.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 30, 2016
It might seem like a weird contradiction, but mobile shopping apps are changing the way that customers engage with and shop at traditional brick-and-mortar retailers. “Most shoppers are now armed with a mobile device when they enter a retail store,” according to a study on mobile apps by MicroStrategy , a global analytics company. “They are highly informed and expect the retail employees they interact with to be at least (if not more) knowledgeable about a store’s products, promotions and servic
Speaker: Abdi Ali, Sr. Lease Accounting Consultant
Join this insightful webinar with industry expert Abdi Ali, who will discuss the challenges that can arise from managing lease accounting with spreadsheets! He will share real-world examples of errors, compliance issues, and risks that may be present within your spreadsheets. Learn how these tools, while useful, can sometimes lead to inefficiencies that affect your time, resources, and peace of mind.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 16, 2016
Millennials may know something that their older counterparts haven’t figured out yet: Cash is better than credit cards. That’s according to data from the Federal Reserve that shows that the number of people under the age of 35 in the U.S. that own a credit card has dipped to the lowest point since 1989, when the Federal Reserve started collecting data on credit card ownership.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 19, 2016
There were more robots ordered for manufacturing and business purposes in the first half of 2016 than at any point ever before, according to the Association for Advancing Automation (A3). A3 says the rise in automated manufacturing “promises increased efficiencies in production and the ability to compete globally.”. In total, 14,583 robots, at a value of $817 million, were ordered by North American companies during the first half of 2016, according to A3, which is a record and a 2 percent growth
PYMNTS
AUGUST 3, 2016
Ninety percent of the $10 trillion “push” payments market opportunity is concentrated in a variety of disbursements made between businesses and consumers that today rely on cash, checks and ACH to move money between those parties. Insurance payments, healthcare reimbursement, merchant settlements, loan disbursements, and payments to workers participating in the shared economy represent a $9 trillion opportunity filled with friction for both the sender and the receiver, with the remaining $1 tril
PYMNTS
AUGUST 11, 2016
The term “ Internet of Things ” has become a big buzzword in business lately, but what exactly is it and why might it shape the future of the retail industry? Simply put, think of the Internet of Things as an “interconnected ecosystem of internet-enabled objects,” according to eMarketer. So, things like your mobile device and tablet are part of the Internet of Things.
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Join us in this webinar, where we share best practices on how to think about the reconciliation work each month, when best to do reconciliations, how they should be prepared, and some common pitfalls to avoid. Learning Objectives: This course objective is to understand how to properly prepare and review balance sheet reconciliations and its impact on the financial statements.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 26, 2016
You know what they say, everything is bigger in Texas. That couldn’t ring truer for the state’s capital, which many consider to have a tech scene bursting with potential and growth. Though Austin may fall in the shadows of bigger U.S. tech hubs, like Silicon Valley and New York City, the city has been recognized as having a fast-growing tech sector with strong expansion.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 17, 2016
Sure, there are a variety of things Alexa can do — such as order groceries, make playlists and tell jokes — but the usefulness of those things is rather subjective. Lost phone on the other hand? That’s something that affects approximately 99 percent of humans at some point and makes everyone everywhere hostile. It is also something Alexa can now fix for you.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 25, 2016
At first glance, the business model behind Vacasa , the vacation rental home startup, sounds very similar to the one behind Airbnb. But Cofounder and CEO Eric Breon says that the two online rental startups are actually vastly different from one another. First, according to Breon, Vacasa tends to operate in smaller towns and more affluent communities, where people have vacation or second homes, as opposed to larger cities and urban centers, where Airbnb typically dominates the market.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 10, 2016
Banks across the globe have invested resources into exploring blockchain technology, and that includes in Canada. But this year, the nation thrust itself into the center of the movement that looks to turn blockchain theory into reality when, in July, Canadian bank ATB Financial successfully sent money to a German bank via blockchain technology — in just 20 seconds.
Speaker: David Warren and Kevin O’Neill Stoll
Transitioning to a usage-based business model offers powerful growth opportunities but comes with unique challenges. How do you validate strategies, reduce risks, and ensure alignment with customer value? Join us for a deep dive into designing effective pilots that test the waters and drive success in usage-based revenue. Discover how to develop a pilot that captures real customer feedback, aligns internal teams with usage metrics, and rethinks sales incentives to prioritize lasting customer eng
PYMNTS
AUGUST 25, 2016
That “M” word – Moving. It’s something that people do a lot of. The packing. The lifting. The schlepping. The loading and unloading. The unpacking. Moving is one of the worst, most frustrating activities known to man, woman and child. Unless, you can, of course, get someone else to do it for you. That someone else – or at least one of those “someone elses” is Shaun Savage, who launched GoShare in May 2015.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 4, 2016
A new flaw has turned up in the chip-based cards on offer in the U.S. According to new data released by researchers at NCR, credit card thieves can apparently rewrite the mag stripe such that the card looks to be chipless when run through a card reader machine – even though such machines should kick back the swipe and tell the user to insert the chip.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 5, 2016
Transferring money digitally just got even easier for Facebook users, now that digital money transfer firm Azimo announced it is integrated into Facebook Messenger. That means users can send and receive money through their friends list on Facebook. “With 1 billion people now using Facebook Messenger, we saw an opportunity to make our customers’ lives easier and change money transfer forever.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 25, 2016
Pet owners, rejoice! Soon, you may own a pet food bowl — integrated with Internet of Things (IoT) technology and Amazon ’s Dash Replenishment Service (DRS) — that will automatically reorder dog or cat food. Pet owners may not have to worry about running out of pet food ever again. So says Obe , a San Francisco-based startup, whose ProBowl, a new IoT-enabled device, can track supplies and reorder food.
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The first Market Momentum Index: AI and Unstructured Data Management, conducted by Deep Analysis with support from AIIM and M-Files, surveyed 500 enterprises across various industries to assess their readiness to employ AI. The results reveal that AI is already far more embedded into organizations' operations than previously realized. These findings and more insights have been brought to you in the "Market Momentum Index: AI and Unstructured Data Management.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 12, 2016
First, it was Oracle Corp. and its MICROS customers that were getting hacked, and now, it appears more cash register vendors are falling victim to hacks that were allegedly conducted by the same Russian organized cybercrime group. That’s according to Forbes , which said it was informed by five cash register providers of the breach. According to the report, in the last month, Cin7, ECRS, Navy Zebra, PAR Technology and Uniwell were all hacked.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 23, 2016
Millennials are buying fewer houses than their Baby-Boomer counterparts – that is inarguable by the data. Across age groups, the U.S. homeownership rate has fallen to a 50 year low – 62.9 percent – and that dip is mostly powered by millennial homebuyers who aren’t buying. Among those under the age of 35, home ownership rates are just over 1/3 – and about half the national figures.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 30, 2016
Singapore is preparing for a FinTech revolution. The small nation is making a big push in support of FinTech innovation by reforming its payment laws. Singapore’s financial authority said it will look to consolidate existing legislation related to payment systems, stored value facilities and remittance businesses in order to create a new combined regulatory framework. “A more calibrated regulatory regime, applied on an activity basis to payment service providers, rather than specific payme
PYMNTS
AUGUST 12, 2016
The coming ascendence of augmented reality and virtual reality have long been article fodder for tech enthusiasts, gamers and retail watchers alike. And for good reason – the story of virtual and augmented reality makes for some great copy. Oculus Rift rose from being a plucky crowdfunded upstart to a $2 billion dollar acquisition by Facebook – a deal that Marc Zuckerberg touted at the time as a first step toward using AR/VR tech to connect the entire world in wholly different ways.
Speaker: Mark Stovel
When it comes to automating, many firms focus on finding the latest tech, believing that efficiency is something achieved through new tools. Yet true efficiency is achieved by delivering real value to clients, not merely by upgraded systems. Without a clear approach, no level of automation can overcome the complexities of serving every client’s needs.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 29, 2016
The blockchain has been touted as a technology to revolutionize a lot of things — moving money, clearing trades, making contracts smart and enforcing terms. But curing what ails loyalty? That’s the view of Ron Quaranta, COO of loyyal and chairman of the Wall Street Blockchain Alliance. In the latest installment of Topic TBD, Karen Webster spoke with Quaranta about how blockchain is just what the doctor — or anyone interested in attracting and retaining an engaged consumer — ordered.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 16, 2016
Bitcoin is going more mainstream in Africa, if the United Nations has anything to do with it. On the United Nation’s OnlineVolunteering.org website, the agency said it is looking for volunteers to help boost the adoption of the digital currency in Africa. The post says it is looking for qualified people to work for free to help educate the young people of Sierra Leone about bitcoin.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 11, 2016
A proposition back in 2011 to close a loophole that enables drug cartels to move large sums of money across boarders using prepaid cards has been delayed but is not dead. According to a report by Reuters , the U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network spokesman Stephen Hudak said the rule is being reworked and could be resubmitted in 2017.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 4, 2016
With its stock value up 10 percent in after hours trading – Square has managed to please investors with losses smaller than expected, growing payments volumes and continuing signs of strength emanating from from its lending platform for small business, Square Capital. It’s a far cry from investor reactions during Square Q1 announcement , which saw Square’s after hours tradingstock price take a 12 percent tumble – as investors proved to be much more concerned about Square’s rising co
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Setting the stage for successful organizational change always begins with clear, thoughtful communication. When it comes to rolling out a new travel and expense (T&E) policy, establishing a well-structured communication plan is key to ensuring that all employees understand the changes and their impact. By following a step-by-step approach, you can guide your organization through the transition, fostering smooth adoption from the outset and improving compliance.
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