Sat.Apr 18, 2020 - Fri.Apr 24, 2020

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Texas Hotelier Nets $59M In PPP Loans

PYMNTS

The biggest benefactor of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is a Dallas, Texas-based hotelier named Monty Bennett, who has received $59 million from the program intended to help small or medium-sized businesses with the economic crisis. Bennett is the chair of Ashford Hospitality Trust , which manages a number of hotels including Atlanta’s Ritz Carlton and the Marriott Beverly Hills.

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The Paycheck Protection Program and Loan Forgiveness

Katz,Sapper&Miller

The CARES Act (the “Act”) hallmark provision is the potential for loan forgiveness under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). As PPP funds are received by businesses, now is the time to strategize for maximum loan forgiveness. The PPP has been advertised as a grant, and, in many respects, it can function like one. However, the onus is on businesses to earn 100% loan forgiveness.

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IRS $1,200 Stimulus: Why Your Check Is Not In The Mail

PYMNTS

If your $1,200 federal COVID-19 stimulus payment has been deposited into your bank account by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), consider yourself one of the lucky ones. An IRS spokesman told PYMNTS that only about 80 million payouts – about half of the expected total – had been issued as of last Friday (April 17). That leaves many taxpayers waiting, but the spokesman couldn’t provide a schedule of when payments will be issued.

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Royal Bank Of Canada Rolls Out Digital ID Verification For Account Opening

PYMNTS

COVID-19 has changed daily routines around the world as more consumers have had to stay at home, only venturing out into public for necessities. This is leading companies of all kinds to navigate how to reach them remotely. Financial institutions (FIs) are among the entities that are working to securely meet clients where they are through mobile and online channels to complete tasks that would more often be completed in person.

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Less Stress, More Success: Accounting Best Practices & Processes for 2025

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.

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Marriott Plans For Reopening And Keeping Guests, Workers Safe From COVID-19

PYMNTS

Arne Sorenson, Marriott International Inc.’s CEO, said the deadly coronavirus pandemic will change the experience of staying in a hotel — at least temporarily — according to a report by Bloomberg. He told Bloomberg Television’s Leadership Live broadcast on Monday (April 20) no one knows when the lodging industry will rebound from impacts of COVID-19.

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The Race To The Cloud: Will Digital Banks Win?

PYMNTS

Financial institutions (FIs) are feeling the pressure to offer increasingly personalized, digital-first services to keep customers satisfied. Crafting the seamlessness customers want means FIs are overhauling their digital infrastructures to enable access to fast, interactive and engaging banking experiences. More banks are therefore moving away from legacy core systems to embrace cloud-native architectures to power automation and meet the speed expected by consumers, securely.

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Stemming The SIM-Swapping Tide In Fraud Friendlier Times

PYMNTS

While being the victim of fraud is never good, there is something to be said for at least being able to identify where exactly one went wrong. Clicked the wrong link in an email, trusted the wrong authoritative voice on the other end of the phone, downloaded the wrong app hiding a malicious little piece of malware. It doesn’t make the resulting data theft any more pleasant, but at least one can hope to learn something and resolve to do better in the future.

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SoFi Deals Point To Question: ‘Just What’s a Bank?’

PYMNTS

The rise of FinTech, the increasing globalization of finance — and even ravages of the coronavirus, which is making us all bank and transact across phones — all have pointed to one simple, urgent question: Just what is a bank, anyway? We wouldn’t go so far as to say an existential crisis is in the works. But we would state that deal by deal, partnership by partnership, the evolution of the centuries-old industry is one that is quickening and is likely to be shaped at least in part by the current

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Why AI’s Early Adopters Are Laser-Focused On Credit Risk And Payments

PYMNTS

There is a great deal of economic uncertainty in the world today, as many banking managers and executives are acutely aware. These circumstances have brought to the fore what has long been a central concern for lenders: assessing and managing credit risk. This vital task is complicated even in normal times due to the multitude of financial risk factors in play at any given time.

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Deep Dive: How Banks Use Digital Technologies To Outlast The Coronavirus

PYMNTS

The coronavirus outbreak is still ravaging countries worldwide, but it has not eliminated consumers’ and businesses’ need to transact, finalize complex arrangements like trusts, or speak with their bankers about financial products. Financial institutions (FIs) are thus confronted with having to serve customers who can rarely venture outside amid stay-at-home and quarantine directives but may need to visit physical branches to complete certain actions.

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Avoiding Lease Accounting Pitfalls in 2025: Lessons Learned from Spreadsheet Errors

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.

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Oxford, Mastercard To Launch Online Course On Digital Ethics, Privacy, AI

PYMNTS

A partnership between The University of Oxford , Saïd Business School and Mastercard will launch an online education program to teach business leaders about the strengths and perils of the modern day internet. Called the Oxford Cyber Future Program , the six-week class will cover artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, threat analytics, data privacy and digital ethics, a press release states.

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Payments Startup Paay Left 2.5M Credit Card Info Exposed

PYMNTS

Paay, a startup credit card database storing millions of transactions, has been unsecured for weeks and only now closed again, according to a TechCrunch report. The database works with other payment processors, verifying payments to make sure there is no fraud going on for outside vendors. Paay’s mistake was not having a password installed on its server, which allowed anyone to see the data inside.

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Picking The Gig Economy’s Winners And Losers

PYMNTS

In some ways, the rapid onset of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. and around the world has meant massive changes for the gig economy — both for the platforms that power it and the workers that staff it. But the effects of those changes complex and nuanced, Wonolo Head of Supply Monica Plaza noted during PYMNTS’s latest On The Agenda conversation with Payoneer CEO Scott Galit; Roadie Founder and CEO Marc Gorlin; and Karen Webster.

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Helping Entrepreneurs Reimagine A Borderless Economy

PYMNTS

While the digital age has opened up doors for businesses to expand internationally, it’s a bit misleading to say that it’s easier than ever for small firms to step foot into new geographic markets. Online-native companies and the cloud-based applications they run on have indeed lowered barriers for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to connect with customers, business partners and even employees across borders.

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Back to Basics with Reconciliations

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.

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Ripple Files Lawsuit Against YouTube For Not Removing Crypto Scams Fast Enough

PYMNTS

Ripple announced on Tuesday (April 21) that it is filing a lawsuit against YouTube , alleging that the popular video platform isn’t doing its due diligence to identify and remove crypto-related scams, according to a company blog post. Ripple said it wants to protect its customers from disingenuous online giveaways and impersonations pretending to be from the company.

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Getting The Plumbing Ready For Banking-As-A-Service

PYMNTS

In times of turmoil, you go toward whom you trust. The coronavirus pandemic — which has forced all of us online — is exposing just who in financial services has embraced digitization, and who is truly digital native. We now must bank entirely online, by necessity. And many of us must transact entirely online, by necessity, to get the goods and services we need on a daily basis.

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How Banks Have Adapted Their Digital Banking Systems To Serve Customers During The Pandemic

PYMNTS

Branch visits are vital to customers’ financial lifestyles, despite mobile and online banking’s growing popularity. All generations, including 64 percent of baby boomers and 56 percent of those from Generation Z, largely prefer opening accounts in person rather than doing so online, for example, meaning in-branch experiences at financial institutions (FIs) need to be just as advanced as their online offerings.

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Lord & Taylor Joins Retail Bankruptcy Watch

PYMNTS

The retail bankruptcy watch intensified Tuesday (April 21) as the department store sector was hit by reports of yet another major player looking at that option. Lord & Taylor, now joining Neiman Marcus, is considering a bankruptcy filing as the COVID-19 lockdown continues to decimate non-essential retail. According to Reuters , chapter 11 protection is one of several options being explored including relief from creditors and alternative financing.

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Usage-Based Monetization Musts: A Roadmap for Sustainable Revenue Growth

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

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NEW DATA: How We Will Change: Consumers And Life After COVID-19

PYMNTS

California became the first state to issue a stay-at-home order on March 19. All 50 states have since issued social distancing guidelines, with consumers everywhere wondering when the mandates will be lifted, when the economy will reopen and whether it will be possible to resume living their pre-COVID-19 lives. But regardless of their states of residence, consumers’ lives had already changed dramatically since the pandemic was first announced.

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Allstate On Using AI To Fight Insurance Claims Fraud

PYMNTS

Cybersecurity experts are scrambling to fight the sheer number of different digital fraud forms that are on the rise, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated this problem. Approximately 22 percent of U.S. consumers have been targeted by fraud attempts related to the virus, such as phishing emails claiming to be guidance on how to avoid infection that actually contain malware.

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Expedia Agrees To $1.2B Deal, Names New CEO

PYMNTS

Expedia Group has announced a new CEO and said it has agreed to a buyout, according to The Wall Street Journal. Vice Chairman Peter Kern will take the helm of Expedia, which contains Travelocity, Orbitz and Vrbo under its umbrella, and has been without a CEO since last December. Acting Chief Financial Officer Eric Hart will now serve in his role permanently.

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How Today’s COVID-19 Pivots Are Paving The Way For Tomorrow’s Innovations

PYMNTS

Inertia is a powerful force in the world of payments and commerce, and one that explains the persistence of things that seem like they should have been disrupted long ago. Paper checks , the biweekly pay cycle, contact-based payments — the technology has long existed to banish those antiquated ideas and replace them with a digitized variation that is faster, smoother, more accessible and more secure.

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Harness the Potential of Your Enterprise Knowledge

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.

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Hard Rock CEO: Tourists Need To Come Back For Business To Recover

PYMNTS

Hard Rock International is not expecting business to rebound before 2021. “There’s going to be a real challenge, especially here in the United States, as far as ramping the business back up,” Hard Rock Chairman James Allen told CNBC Wednesday (April 22) regarding the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. “We’re planning on that taking a year.”. Founded in London in 1971 and based in Florida, Hard Rock operates hotels, casinos and restaurants in 76 countries, according to the Hard Rock website.

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Starbucks Among 19 Firms Trialing China’s Digital Yuan

PYMNTS

The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) is launching a pilot program to trial its new digital currency yuan with 19 local businesses, including the U.S. chains Starbucks, Subway and McDonald’s. The digital currency trial is being held in Xiong’an New Area, a city being built south of Beijing. China is the first country to launch a central bank digital currency (CBDC) or digital currency electronic payment (DCEP).

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Deep Dive: COVID-19 Spurs Biometric Innovations For A Contactless Global Society

PYMNTS

Global concern over the coronavirus spreading on contaminated surfaces in public places is unleashing rapid development of innovative biometric products that could assist a touchless society. The New York City Police Department recently stopped using its fingerprint identification security procedure for employees entering buildings, for example, contributing to a spike in demand for contactless identification alternatives.

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Cannabis Companies Would Be Eligible For COVID-19 Relief Under Bill

PYMNTS

Representatives from Colorado and Oregon, states known for liberal cannabis laws, want the cannabis industry to be included in future Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) legislation. Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) introduced legislation this week to ensure that that happens, allowing cannabis companies to be eligible for the PPP, along with Economic Injury Disaster Loans and other emergency loan advances.

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Solve Your Firm's Automation Complexities Once and For All

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.

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Helping Banks Get Rid Of ‘Technical Debt’

PYMNTS

Call it “technology debt” — legacy systems and architecture, hardware and software — that has to be worked down. As banks increasingly go digital, as they seek to leverage mobile devices to reach consumers where they live — and especially as the coronavirus has kept us all hunkered down and sheltered in place — they’ve got to pay down their technical debt.

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How Curve, Neat Are Keeping Up With Customers’ Digital Banking Needs

PYMNTS

Digital transformation is essential for financial institutions’ (FIs) success, but what such a transformation entails has shifted in recent years. Consumers and small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are not just searching for financial partners with online platforms and mobile apps, but rather those offering such tools with greater degrees of efficiency, personalization and support for their specific needs.

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Bitcoin Daily: Alleged Chinese Crypto Mining Scam Nets $11M

PYMNTS

An alleged new digital currency Ponzi scheme out of China, Antimatter Kingdom (AK), has seemingly brought in bitcoin valued at $11 million in under a single month of operation, Cointelegraph reported. AK reportedly called itself “a super mining application group” running on the CXC chain with its rollout in April. It maintains that it has taken in 180,000 bitcoins, but it seems that the effort brought a figure nearer to $11 million in bitcoin.

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Corporates Play Payment Rail Musical Chairs

PYMNTS

The coronavirus pandemic has some organizations playing payment rails musical chairs in their accounts payable (AP) departments as they adjust payment strategies (and methods) to suit their needs in a volatile, remote working environment. For many AP teams, the paper check has presented immediate challenges with staff no longer able to step into the office to print and send checks (and no one on the accounts receivable end to accept them).

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It Takes Two to Tango

With automation, you’ll reduce errors and save valuable time, allowing you to focus on what really matters: strategic analysis and insightful decision-making. Picture accurate financial reports ready at your fingertips, giving you the confidence to tackle business challenges head-on. Embracing automation not only boosts productivity but also elevates your role from number cruncher to closing rockstar.