PYMNTS
MARCH 16, 2018
American Express has reportedly filed a patent related to faster payments and blockchain technology, reports in CoinDesk said. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office released the patent application filed by American Express Travel Related Services Company, the payment technology firm’s travel unit, which outlines the use of blockchain technology to accelerate payments between two parties.
Katz,Sapper&Miller
MARCH 14, 2018
The structure and dynamics of family offices are often as varied as families themselves. Because of that, the new tax law will impact each family office differently. While there are a number of new tax provisions that should be considered, the following is a summary of the ones that are most likely to impact you and your family.
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PYMNTS
MARCH 14, 2018
If some is good, more is better. That seems to be the idea among banks both big and small when it comes to APIs , as several players from around the financial services industry recently increased their investment in APIs, rolling out new solutions aimed at making B2B payments more efficient. . But it isn’t all about efficiency. Several financial institutions are turning to APIs to provide their corporate clients with new products and services that deliver flexibility and put them in control. .
PYMNTS
MARCH 16, 2018
What does it take for a fashion brand to stay on top of the trends? A lot of market data. But not all brands excel at crawling the web for information relevant to their businesses. “A lot of brands are having a hard time keeping up with the pace of consumer changes,” StyleSage ’s Director of Marketing and Digital Strategy Elizabeth Shobert told PYMNTS in an interview.
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.
PYMNTS
MARCH 16, 2018
This time last year, if a customer asked Cascade about cryptocurrency loading, the startup had to tell them, “We don’t do that.” Its partner banks weren’t supporting the feature, so neither could Cascade. But as more and more people started asking about it, Founder and CEO Spencer Schmerling began to recognize the big opportunity in front of him. That’s why Schmerling said the startup is now launching a crypto loading capability, among other new services and API enhancements.
PYMNTS
MARCH 16, 2018
Ever since 2013, when Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said the eCommerce giant was working on a 30-minute drone delivery program called Prime Air, people have been saying that delivery is the big retail use case for drone technology. Domino’s furthered the point by delivering a pizza by drone in 2016. Regulatory red tape has so far kept either delivery program from becoming a reality, but the technology was there and the value proposition was clear, as retail and logistics companies worldwide struggle to
Accountant Advocate brings together the best content for small business accounting professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
PYMNTS
MARCH 14, 2018
Moving money across country lines is rarely easy or cheap, and that’s especially true in countries with large un- and under-banked populations, like Mexico. In a country where 60 percent of people choose not to bank due to a cultural mistrust of financial institutions, how can a payments app gain trust and bring value to those citizens by sending money cross-border for $0.99?
PYMNTS
MARCH 14, 2018
Online ordering: the asset that’s a burden, the blessing that’s a curse, the “Can’t live with it, can’t live without it” of restaurant life. There’s a lot to be said both in favor of and against putting one’s menu online, and particularly on third-party aggregation platforms like Grubhub and Uber Eats. Except, not really — not according to Alex Canter, founder of Ordermark.
PYMNTS
MARCH 16, 2018
Ride-hailing company Lyft is reportedly testing the availability of monthly subscription plans for customers who use the service a lot. Citing comments Lyft Chief Executive Logan Green made at a press event this week, The Verge reported Lyft could take a page from Netflix and Spotify by bringing a subscription-based model to the transportation market.
PYMNTS
MARCH 14, 2018
While consumers are still using multiple platforms — such as desktop and mobile — “mobile-only” users are on the rise. In fact, “mobile-only” users surpassed 30 percent of users in almost half of the markets studied by comScore in 2017 for its “ Global Digital Future in Focus ” report. “Global digital landscapes continue to evolve in often surprising ways,” Will Hodgman, EVP of International Sales at comScore, said in a press release.
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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.
PYMNTS
MARCH 13, 2018
Ripple , the blockchain payments company, is gearing up to invest in startups and technology firms that create more uses for its cryptocurrency XRP. In an interview with TechCrunch on the sidelines of Money2020, the payments conference currently being held in Singapore, Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple, said the company is focused on enabling banks to use its blockchain software offering, while also looking to invest in startups that could provide alternative uses for XRP.
PYMNTS
MARCH 13, 2018
Those hungry for takeout in many cities can choose from a variety of restaurant delivery services. But that’s not the case for some cities, such as Youngstown, Ohio. The on-demand economy hasn’t yet taken off in Youngstown, according to Grubdom Founder Jay White, who hopes to change that with a website and forthcoming mobile app that will allow local diners to order grub from local restaurants.
PYMNTS
MARCH 16, 2018
The financial services industry’s sudden support for application programming interfaces (APIs) has people talking about the power of data sharing. Certainly regulations like PSD2 and the U.K.’s Open Banking initiative encourage API development and adoption, with industry players acknowledging the technology’s ability to efficiently comply with data sharing rules.
PYMNTS
MARCH 16, 2018
Australia’s Institute of Public Accountants (IPA) is urging its members to “future-proof” their businesses as the industry heads toward disruption. Reports in Money Management on Thursday (March 15) said the IPA’s Vice President, Sam Zervides, issued a statement encouraging accountants to collaborate and explore value-added services, particularly for small businesses (SMBs).
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.
PYMNTS
MARCH 14, 2018
In an effort to attract millennials, Zara plans to integrate augmented reality into its stores this April. The retailer will bring the technology to 120 of its locations around the world, Reuters reported. With the technology, Zara will be able to show models wearing the latest fashions to customers when they put their mobile devices near a sensor within its brick-and-mortar stores or near certain shop windows.
PYMNTS
MARCH 14, 2018
Amazon, the leading eCommerce player, has made a push into the financial market in Mexico, rolling out a debit card this week for the first time ever. With Mexicans reluctant to shop online, Amazon is hoping to encourage more of it by providing a new way to purchase things. According to a report in Reuters, the debit card — called Amazon Rechargeable — is aimed at providing a new way to shop over the Internet.
PYMNTS
MARCH 16, 2018
While almost 64 percent of Americans trust Amazon , only about 31 percent are willing to use Amazon’s in-home delivery service, InsuranceQuotes.com reported. The willingness of Americans to use the service, which is known as Amazon Key, differs by factors such as gender. While 40 percent of men are willing to use the service, only about 24 percent of women are willing use it.
PYMNTS
MARCH 14, 2018
“The important thing to remember here is this is a brand-new, very complicated space,” warned John Oliver on last weekend’s episode of “Last Week Tonight.” “Literally nobody knows how it’s going to develop, so you need to be careful.” Oliver was discussing cryptocurrencies and blockchain on his show, highlighting the massive potential the world of FinTech has touted for the last year or so.
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.
PYMNTS
MARCH 15, 2018
New rules loom in the European Union for tech giants like Apple , Amazon and Google, Reuters reported. The European Commission is at work on a new proposal that aims to shape how online platforms — spanning eCommerce and mobile apps — rank search results. The draft regulation, as quoted by Reuters, targets what might be seen as harmful trading practices and states that “online intermediation services can hold superior bargaining power over their business users, enabling them to behave unilateral
PYMNTS
MARCH 13, 2018
Today in PYMNTS data, Karen Webster discusses Amazon’s impact on consumers and grocery shopping as a whole. “The gulf between what consumers want and what grocery stores today deliver as consumers move regularly between the online and offline worlds is pretty big,” Webster noted. “On a scale of zero to 100, where zero is, well, zero, and 100 is a perfect score, grocery stores scored a pretty lousy 30, based on consumer responses and a statistical analysis of store features and functionality.”.
PYMNTS
MARCH 16, 2018
Alibaba is enhancing its relationship with invoice financing company Qupital , reports in AsiaOne on Thursday (March 15) said. Their partnership means Alibaba small business sellers that are members of the platform’s Gold Supplier program will be linked to invoice financing via Qupital. The initiative follows Alibaba’s earlier investment in the alternative lender last May, marking Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund’s first investment in a Hong Kong company.
PYMNTS
MARCH 16, 2018
When the parking meter made its grand debut in 1935, it allowed municipalities to collect money in exchange for vehicles to be parked for a set amount of time. Simultaneously, it created the inconveniences of forcing motorists to locate change wedged in between seats to feed the meter, while also keeping track of time to avoid a parking ticket. Thankfully, today’s parking kiosks have moved beyond coin-operated solutions to accept dollar bills, credit and debit cards, mobile wallet and mobile app
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.
PYMNTS
MARCH 15, 2018
L.L. Bean had been testing a data collection project that was attempting to determine the viability of the blockchain ledger for attaching sensors to coats and boots. The tests were scheduled to begin earlier this year and involved asking consumers to wear garments that would send information back to the Ethereum blockchain platform, which would have given L.L.
PYMNTS
MARCH 16, 2018
Even at its smoothest, supply chain management is never the easiest of endeavors. Transparency is key, but often is lacking – in part because of far-flung parties, which include both sides of a transaction (buyer and seller, of course) that may be operating across time zones, languages and currencies. Frequently, there are intermediaries involved with financing.
PYMNTS
MARCH 16, 2018
While often painted as hesitant to jump on board with the next big technological advance, banks of all sizes are more than ready to get going with voice-activated AI, says FIS Mobile SVP and group executive Doug Brown. “The demand we are seeing is overwhelming from our banking partners,” Brown told Karen Webster in a recent conversation. “Banks from the biggest player on Wall Street right on down to community banks are absolutely ready for this change and want to get in on the ground floor.
PYMNTS
MARCH 14, 2018
Kiosks aren’t just for selling tickets or providing customers with another way to order a meal. They can personalize the guest experience too. “Our take on it is that we’re all different,” Bite CPO Steven Truong has said. “Our recognition and learning algorithm allows us to give each guest a different experience — and cater to their personal needs.”.
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
PYMNTS
MARCH 15, 2018
Startup Emailage stopped almost twice as much potential fraud in 2017 as it did in the previous year. Content marketing manager Chad Koskie broke it down by the numbers: Against the backdrop of $180 billion in transactions running through the system, $1.8 million in potential fraud was prevented, compared to last year’s $1 billion. That’s according to Emailage’s email risk assessment results from 2017, which bring together data from across customers’ transactions from the startup’s entire networ
PYMNTS
MARCH 14, 2018
Financial inclusion is no mere buzzword in financial services. Call it life-changing, if done right. Everything for the heretofore unbanked and underbanked can improve – beyond mere wealth. Think health, education, quality of life. Stability. In an interview with PYMNTS, Eddie Grobler, executive vice president of ACH Systems and Integration with Vocalink , noted that financial inclusion can help individuals, families and businesses find surer financial footing on a day-to-day basis.
PYMNTS
MARCH 13, 2018
In the developed world of workers in the United States and Europe, the ability to be paid in cryptocurrency probably would not add all that much to their daily life. It’s novel, of course – and the “ain’t it cool” factor might prompt some people to give it a try. And, of course, there are true bitcoin believers in every nation who want all their earnings, savings and investments in crypto form.
PYMNTS
MARCH 14, 2018
Unnamed sources have told reporters that Amazon is looking to expand its small business (SMB) financing operations via the rollout of a commercial card for SMBs. Reports in Fortune on Tuesday (March 13) said Amazon, which already has a relationship with JPMorgan Chase to offer consumer cards, is collaborating with the firm to develop a small business credit card for customers that use its eCommerce platform to procure office supplies.
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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.
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