PYMNTS

MARCH 24, 2016

We’ve known that subscription box sites were on the rise, but new data showing the particular numbers in that regard is nonetheless impressive. EMarketer reports that, according to a recent study from Hitwise, visits to subscription box sites (online subscription retail services like BarkBox , Birchbox and Dollar Shave Club , which, on a monthly basis, provide their members with goods delivered quite literally in a box) in the United States have increased by nearly 3,000 percent in the pas

Retail 65

Retail 65

PYMNTS

MARCH 17, 2016

Cumulus Funding, a consumer finance company specializing in providing Income Share Agreements (“ISAs”) to individuals seeking a more flexible consumer finance alternative, has announced a major funding round today (March 17). Cumulus announced it has closed a round of financing of over $30 million in capital, including $6 million in equity funding and a committed $25 million debt financing facility.

Finance 59

Finance Technology 59

PYMNTS

MARCH 2, 2016

We’ve said it before and we will say it again — when it comes to mobile payments, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, any more than there is one-size-fits-all payment method. But what is clear is that the mobile solution that will ultimately garner the critical mass needed to ignite it will solve a problem for a consumer. Paying in a store hasn’t ever really been much of a problem – until EMV, anyway — so convincing consumers that it was better for them to pull out their phone and tap at some

Technology 57

Technology Sales 57

PYMNTS

MARCH 14, 2016

The blockchain has been considered a possible means to overhaul an array of aspects in B2B payments, including cross-border and smart documentation. One company wants to use the technology for supply chain management, including payments and invoicing, and, late last week, rolled out its solution to do so. Fluent said Friday (March 11) that it is debuting the Fluent Network, a blockchain-based software platform for cross-border B2B trade aimed at the businesses and financial institutions that pla

accounts payable 56

accounts payable B2B Technology accounted 56

Speaker: Danny Gassaway and Wayne Richards

Finance leaders are prioritizing efficiency and digital transformation, yet many hesitate to automate due to uncertainty. Without a clear understanding of its impact, organizations risk falling behind competitors who are leveraging automation to drive productivity and cost savings. Join Wayne Richards and Danny Gassaway from AvidXchange for a practical guide on bringing accounts payable (AP) automation to your organization.

Finance

PYMNTS

MARCH 26, 2016

A loan company employee has pleaded guilty to stealing identities of several customers and fraudulently seeking $400,000 in tax returns. According to court documents , Montgomery, Alabama resident Wendy Huff, who worked at two different insurance companies between January 2013 and August 2015, stole personal information of her employers’ customers, including their names, social security numbers and dates of birth.

Alabama 56

Alabama tax return Tax Government 56

PYMNTS

MARCH 5, 2016

In the early days of the smartphone, apps came upon consumers like tiny technological miracles sent from heaven to make their lives easier. “There’s an app for that” was more than a marketing pitch. For a short time, it became something of a lifestyle movement for consumers enamored of their one-tap access to everything. The love affair, however dizzying, was relatively short-lived as consumers began to realize two things simultaneously.

Start-ups 55

Start-ups Technology Maine 55

PYMNTS

MARCH 21, 2016

By any stretch, President Barack Obama’s trip to Cuba is a historic event. After all, he is the first United States president to visit the tiny nation, so long a U.S. adversary, in roughly 90 years. Obama has reopened the U.S. embassy there and has also paved the path for commercial airline flights to begin to that nation. Mail will go back and forth between the two countries.

52

52

PYMNTS

MARCH 31, 2016

If Beyoncé and Jay Z ever see their musical careers go in the tank (they won’t), at least now they have their own music streaming service to fall back on for day jobs. On the other hand, Solange — Beyoncé’s sister — has to make her eCommerce venture work without the luxury of a few Billboard charting tunes. That’s the mission behind the relaunch of Solange’s online store for her Saint Heron fashion line, which aims to incorporate diversity into every design it sells.

Retail 52

Retail 52

PYMNTS

MARCH 14, 2016

Payment fraud evolves in ways that are truly frightening — and with haste. Fraudsters are continually scrambling to keep up with, and have one foot in front of, technology, with recent stumbling blocks in the form of EMV, in the United States, likely to give rise to greater card-not-present fraud. But the would-be payments criminals have potent weaponry at hand, including ever faster, ever more powerful and ever cheaper computing power, and they have been targeting, according to data science fir

Gaming 51

Gaming Technology Maine 51

PYMNTS

MARCH 23, 2016

The whispers have grown to loud chatter when it comes to blockchain technology and the impact it might have on the financial services sector. What once may not have been taken seriously — cryptocurrencies and futuristic payments — is today exploding as the innovation financial institutions are targeting for investments, largely hoping to get a jump on the blockchain before disruption takes a bite out of their traditional business.

Technology 50

Technology Gaming Start-ups Finance 50

Advertisement

It's the time of year to give our close process some TLC. Join us in this one hour webinar where we discuss how to adopt leading practices and infuse technology into the month-end close process to improve our experience and increase our productivity during month-end and quarter-end close. Learning Objectives: This course's objective is to understand how the month-end close can be improved with automation and adoption of leading practices.

Technology

PYMNTS

MARCH 28, 2016

The path to faster payments in the U.S. doesn’t have to be paved with a 500+ person task force analyzing what the world would look like if we were starting from a clean sheet of paper, competing propositions for who’s going to build and operate a new set of rails, or even what sort of spiffy software can make existing rails faster. Instead, we could do something right away — or almost right away — that would make payments between consumers and businesses faster.

accounting and finance 48

accounting and finance Maryland accounted Account 48

PYMNTS

MARCH 7, 2016

While some Asian country economies may be slowing down, the health of the online retail markets across the continent is booming. According to a recent report from Forrester, as reported on by ZDNet , total eCommerce revenue for China, Japan, South Korea, India and Australia is projected to nearly double in the next five years, from $733 billion in 2014 to $1.4 trillion by 2020.

Retail 48

Retail Start-ups Sales 48

PYMNTS

MARCH 30, 2016

Cybersecurity firm FireEye warns of the dangers that custom-built malware poses to retailers due to its ability to capture payment card details directly from retail point-of-sale (POS) systems. In an article posted to its research blog on Monday (March 28), FireEye warned about the POS malware called TREASUREHUNT that it said is designed to enumerate running processes, extract payment card data from memory and then transmit the stolen information to a command and control server.

Retail 47

Retail Sales Technology 47

PYMNTS

MARCH 14, 2016

GM is amping up its cybersecurity unit to ready itself against rising possibilities of threats to its automobile firewall. The company has called for hackers to help it uncover loopholes in its cybersecurity net for vehicles, websites and software, under a “coordinated disclosure” program. The program’s launch comes at a time when cybersecurity gaps in the automobile industry are increasingly drawing scrutiny on a regulatory level and are leading to massive recalls, The Wall St

Start-ups 23

Start-ups Technology 23

Speaker: Jennifer Hill

Payroll compliance is a cornerstone of business success, yet for small and midsize businesses, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of federal, state, and local regulations. Mistakes can lead to costly penalties and operational disruptions, making it essential to adopt advanced solutions that ensure accuracy and efficiency.

payroll

PYMNTS

MARCH 2, 2016

Blockchain proponents say the disruptive technology is worth the onboarding process. Among one of the loudest of these blockchain champions is Ripple, a FinTech firm that has recently secured millions of dollars in investments and strategic partnerships aimed at promoting blockchain technology’s use for traditionally friction-rich areas, like cross-border payments and real-time payments.

Technology 46

Technology accountant accounted Account 46

PYMNTS

MARCH 11, 2016

The feud between Apple and the FBI has turned hostile, with the government agency calling out Apple’s actions as false and corrosive to the very system meant to protect rights. “Here, Apple deliberately raised technological barriers that now stand between a lawful warrant and an iPhone containing evidence related to the terrorist mass murder of 14 Americans.

Technology 46

Technology Government 46

PYMNTS

MARCH 18, 2016

About 18 months ago, Apple Pay awakened the world to the possibilities and potential of using a mobile phone as a replacement for a plastic card at the physical point of sale. Could Apple succeed where so many had failed? The world watched, waited and speculated. PYMNTS, in partnership with InfoScout, decided to put some data behind the watching and launched the PYMNTS/InfoScout Apple Pay Adoption Tracker in November of 2014.

Sales 23

Sales Technology Maine 23

PYMNTS

MARCH 23, 2016

Let’s go back for a minute to the year 1999. It was just about a decade years after Tim Berners-Lee gave people the ability to actually use the Internet via World Wide Web. 171 million of the 6 billion humans on the planet were using the Internet. And 51 percent of CEOs said that the Internet probably wouldn’t have a big impact on their business.

Gambling 45

Gambling Technology Start-ups Retail 45

Speaker: Sierre Lindgren

Fraud is a battle that every organization must face – it’s no longer a question of “if” but “when.” Every organization is a potential target for fraud, and the finance department is often the bullseye. From cleverly disguised emails to fraudulent payment requests, the tactics of cybercriminals are advancing rapidly. Drawing insights from real-world cases and industry expertise, we’ll explore the vulnerabilities in your processes and how to fortify them effectively.

Finance

PYMNTS

MARCH 29, 2016

As the FBI works to combat a specific type of ransomware virus, it is calling on businesses and software security experts for emergency assistance in its investigation. Over the weekend, Reuters obtained a confidential “Flash” advisory from the FBI: “We need your help!” The particular strain of ransomware the FBI is fighting is known as MSIL/Samas.A and is being used by hackers for extortion.

45

45

PYMNTS

MARCH 21, 2016

Small and medium businesses (SMBs) are the backbone of the American economy. They account for almost half of payroll (48%) and have created about 60% of new jobs since 2009. Given the rapid growth of technology solutions that can help these businesses thrive, not to mention get an edge with their customers, PYMNTS.com and Sage set out to measure the rate of adoption of these technologies for SMBs across the U.S.

Technology 45

Technology B2C payroll B2B 45

PYMNTS

MARCH 25, 2016

An inherent truth of the retail industry — that consumers, at the end of the day, wield the ultimate power in determining what products and companies succeed — can even be applied to entire business models. Pet retail is, by and large, in no danger of slowing down any time soon, given that consumers’ affection for cuddly companions (and not-so-objectively-cuddly ones, like fish and reptiles) translated into a $17.5 billion business worldwide as of last year.

Retail 45

Retail Utah Sales Education 45

PYMNTS

MARCH 16, 2016

Every generation has to eat, but every generation doesn’t have to eat the same way. Whole Foods and other retailers capitalizing on the at-home health food craze were able to get out in front of millennial eating trends — or, at least, start riding at the crest of the wave. Fast casual restaurants weren’t so prescient, though, and now, cracks are appearing in one of the Baby Boomer generation’s most enduring retail trends.

Alabama 45

Alabama Texas Retail Start-ups 45

Speaker: Debra L. Robinson

CPAs know the drill: taxes, compliance, rinse, repeat. But what about the sneaky cash flow that’s quietly messing with your organization’s success? It’s time to step into the spotlight and expose the “dirty little secrets” of cash flow to fuel strategic growth. By upskilling your accounting practices and shifting focus from tax compliance to the strategic movement of money, you can transform your role from reactive accountant to proactive financial strategist.

CPA

PYMNTS

MARCH 15, 2016

The story behind the massive $101 million bank hacking that hit Bangladesh’s central bank last week just got even juicier. It turns out those funds were stolen from Bangladesh’s account at the New York Fed through the use of official government codes. This has left officials across four countries digging for answers, and one top bank chief has turned in his resignation.

New York 22

New York Account accounted accountant 22

PYMNTS

MARCH 23, 2016

Cars that can find cheap gas, a table for 2 at a restaurant nearby and advance order milk, cereal and paper towels for a quick pick up on the way home are no longer a wild and crazy idea never to see the light of day. Software and applications are eating commerce. Well, to be precise, enabling it in ways that are limited only by the imaginations of the innovators who see ways to tuck commerce into the places where consumers and businesses meet to do business.

Entertainment 45

Entertainment Gaming Retail Sales 45

PYMNTS

MARCH 28, 2016

“There exists a bizarre gap in today’s state of financial services.” That’s the philosophy of Shake, a new startup in the bitcoin world that is (unsurprisingly) trying to pitch a payment method that doesn’t involve banks, governments or regulators. Instead, its latest product rollout is all about making bitcoin and digital currency payments easier to make.

Government 45

Government 45

PYMNTS

MARCH 30, 2016

First, video killed the radio star. Then, CDs, MP3s and the iPod caused the death of their predecessors. From the 1990s to the mid-2000s, it seemed like the future of music was directly headed for increasingly smaller players in increasingly intangible formats. But just when the last iPods started giving way to entirely online streaming services, millennial audiophiles suddenly fell back in love with vinyl records — a music format they never even knew growing up.

Retail 44

Retail Start-ups Technology 44

Speaker: Aaron Berson

Managing spend is more than a cost cutting exercise – it's a pathway to smarter decisions that unlock efficiency and drive growth. By understanding and refining the spending process, financial leaders can empower their organizations to achieve more with less. Explore the art of balancing financial control with operational growth. From uncovering hidden inefficiencies to designing workflows that scale your business, we’ll share strategies to align your organization’s spending with its strategic g

Spend Management

PYMNTS

MARCH 24, 2016

Starbucks isn’t quite done tinkering with its rewards program. Following the news last month that the coffee giant will, beginning in April, revamp its loyalty program so that it rewards customers with “stars” (AKA points) based on dollar amount spent rather than per transaction (a change that was met with a mixed response from consumers), The New York Times reports that Starbucks is also going to offer a prepaid card that will provide customers with another way to earn stars.

New York 0

New York Legal Retail accounted 0

PYMNTS

MARCH 31, 2016

A decade ago, Etsy was the only way that some small-scale crafts makers and artisans could participate in the eCommerce world. Now, however, the pop-up shop is quickly enshrining itself as the preferred way for emerging brands to bring their wares quickly and efficiently to market. The New York Times has the story of how several brands with small-to-nonexistent physical footprints are using the phenomenon of the pop-up shop to make big waves in areas only traditional retail proved able to until

New York 44

New York Gaming Retail Sales 44

PYMNTS

MARCH 24, 2016

The world of mobile payments news this week started out in the one region of the world that doesn’t often make much news when it comes to what U.S. companies are doing in mobile commerce: Cuba. And everyone wanted in. Which brought about news from some of the biggest players in mobile payments, like Xoom, PayPal and Western Union. Beyond that, there was also plenty of news (and stats) that broke from the mobile pay bigwigs, like Apple, Google and Alibaba.

Technology 44

Technology Start-ups accountant accounted 44

PYMNTS

MARCH 11, 2016

While successfully onboarding customers is critical to many organizations, the process of finding and attaining these potential customers, along with the cost, isn’t always easy. The approval process itself can be prone to a variety of different friction points, but even with an efficient approach there is always the risk of unknowingly approving bad or fraudulent customers.

Finance 44

Finance Technology Sales Maine 44

Advertisement

Bleisure travel — where employees combine work and leisure — has been around since the advent of corporate travel and is here to stay. Successful bleisure policies strike a balance between employee preferences and company goals — workers report a 64% improvement in work-life balance, while companies benefit from reduced travel costs and increased workforce innovation.