Sat.Jun 30, 2018 - Fri.Jul 06, 2018

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Cybersecurity Stocks Still Benefit From Equifax Scandal

PYMNTS

Following the massive data breach at Equifax last year, the cybersecurity sector has flourished – and so have some of the investments that track the industry. The ETFMG Prime Cyber Security ETF, for example, has risen 18 percent this year, CNBC reported. The exchange-traded fund, which was founded in 2014, notched staggering returns of 31 percent following the Equifax data breach in 2017, twice that of the S&P 500 return during that same time period.

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Hobby Lobby May Take Up Shop In Former Toys R Us Stores

PYMNTS

Following the closure of Toys R Us stores in June, retailers in the hobby and off-price segments may fill some of the larger empty big-box spaces. Companies such as Big Lots and Ashley Homestore had bid on the properties in bankruptcy court, but one hobby retailer may be particularly interested in Toys R Us’ former stores, The Wall Street Journal reported. “ Hobby Lobby especially is very aggressive,” Kimco Realty Chief Executive Conor Flynn said at a conference.

Retail 73
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Reeling In Shoppers With A Digital Take On Layaway

PYMNTS

What to do for the shopper with champagne tastes — and a beer budget? For consumers with an appetite for designer, but a budget perhaps more tailored to fast fashion, the digital age offers a myriad of solutions: Buy it used, rent it temporarily or risk a knock-off from an extreme online discounter that may (or may not) be offering the real deal. Another option, the classic, is to whip out the plastic card with the highest limit and buy the designer good brand new — absolutely real and owned by

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Finding The Worth In The Personal Touch

PYMNTS

The digital age desperately wants to help consumers answer an important, age-old question: What should I wear today? The “hows” of solving that question have become increasingly high-tech in recent years. At any number of websites, consumers can answer a questionnaire that covers their relevant measurements and sartorial preferences to create a profile.

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What Your Financial Statements Are Telling You—And How to Listen!

Speaker: David Worrell, CFO, Author & Speaker

Your financial statements hold powerful insights—but are you truly paying attention? Many finance professionals focus on the income statement while overlooking key signals hidden in the balance sheet and cash flow statement. Understanding these numbers can unlock smarter decision-making, uncover risks, and drive long-term success. Join David Worrell, accomplished CFO, finance expert, and author, for an engaging, nontraditional take on reading financial statements.

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Facebook Gets Serious About Blockchain With Exec Reshuffle

PYMNTS

After setting up a group within Facebook to look into blockchain technology, Facebook may be bolstering its efforts in the field: Evan Cheng has taken on the position of director of engineering, blockchain, at the company, according to reports and his LinkedIn profile. Before taking the latest position, Cheng led programming languages and runtimes at the tech firm.

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Mid-Year 2018: Payments Execs Map Out What’s Next

PYMNTS

The world is getting faster these days. Change happens at the speed of, well, if not light, then sound. The information deluge is constant. Commerce is constant. Payments and financial services? Always on, too, and always in demand. There’s no such thing as “bankers’ hours” anymore. No surprise, then, that innovation in the payments space is getting ever-more truncated in terms of time to market.

More Trending

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Using IoT Tech To Drive Grocery Sales

PYMNTS

Shoe sellers can dust off a pair of unsold sneakers and keep them on the shelf until they sell, but businesses like grocery stores don’t have that luxury. Instead, they must keep a tight focus on moving goods out the doors — especially items with an expiration date. As such, grocers are turning to old retail standbys — sales and discounts — to help spur purchases, and for good reason.

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The Future Of In-Store Pick-Up With Lockers

PYMNTS

As retailers expand their omnichannel efforts with in-store pickup, they are faced with a challenge: What is the best way to help their customers retrieve their orders from their brick-and-mortar stores? Home Depot , for example, is taking a page out of the Amazon retail playbook by installing lockers in many of its locations to support its in-store pick-up service.

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From Blockbuster The Chain To Blockchain The Movie?

PYMNTS

We’ve come a long way, Mr. Edison. Since the early days of cinema, the moving image has captured the imagination of, well, everyone. In some ways, the formula hasn’t changed much, but the means of distribution have. We’ve moved from literal celluloid to digital, where films are beamed through bits and bytes into theaters. Now? From blockbuster to Blockbuster the chain to … blockchain.

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Alibaba Tests Out ‘FashionAI’ Concept Store

PYMNTS

By opening a temporary store with apparel from Guess , Alibaba is testing out its inaugural “FashionAI” concept at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Guess is looking to use the technology in stores, starting with Hong Kong and mainland China, Retail Dive reported. The concept store works with Alibaba’s Taobao platform and, when customers enter the concept store, they check in with a code from Taobao.

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Forecasting Failures Are Costly: Here's How To Fix Them

Speaker: Dave Sackett

Traditional budgeting and forecasting methods can no longer keep pace with today’s rapidly evolving business environment. Static budgets, rigid annual forecasts, and outdated financial models limit an organization’s ability to adapt to market shifts and economic uncertainty. To stay ahead, finance leaders must leverage a future-forward approach—one that leverages real-time data, predictive analytics, and continuous planning to drive smarter financial decisions.

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Direct-To-Consumer Firms Rethink Facebook Advertising

PYMNTS

Direct-to-consumer advertising on Facebook has reportedly hit a rough patch, with spending by brands decreasing there. The trend comes at a time when brands are facing other changes on the social media site. Ten direct-to-consumer companies recently surveyed by Digiday all said their marketing plans are relying less on Facebook, as focus and dollars shift to other online marketing channels — and that includes Instagram , owned by Facebook.

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TRENDING: Can mPOS Solutions Win Over Cash-Centric Industries?

PYMNTS

Players in the mobile point-of-sale (mPOS) space are focusing on catering to payment needs of small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Efforts range from Mobeewave ’s collaboration over an in-person contactless payment solution for small merchants in the UAE to myPOS ’ efforts to steer taxi drivers away from cash and onto its card-accepting mPOS. In the July mPOS Tracker , PYMNTS explores all the latest initiatives.

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Kuwait Finance House Teams Up With Visa For Mobile Wallet

PYMNTS

To roll out a mobile wallet for its credit and prepaid Visa cardholders, Kuwait Finance House (KFH) teamed up with Visa. The wallet will use Visa’s token service, and KFH Chief Retail and Private Banking Officer Waleed Khaled Mandani said to the media that the tie-up will help its customers use the newest technologies for payments on the market, according to reports.

Finance 47
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Blockchain Inches Slowly Out Of Pilot Phase

PYMNTS

It seems that blockchain may never leave the lab and enter the real world. And, indeed, this week’s Blockchain Tracker continues its coverage of ongoing tests and trails of blockchain solutions. That includes a new Know Your Customer (KYC) application for banks, as well as Hong Kong’s latest cross-border trade finance initiative using distributed ledger technology (DLT).

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Are Robots Replacing You? Keeping Humans in the Loop in Automated Environments

Speaker: Erroll Amacker

As businesses increasingly adopt automation, finance leaders must navigate the delicate balance between technology and human expertise. This webinar explores the critical role of human oversight in accounts payable (AP) automation and how a people-centric approach can drive better financial performance. Join us for an insightful discussion on how integrating human expertise into automated workflows enhances decision-making, reduces fraud risks, strengthens vendor relationships, and accelerates R

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Bank Of America Deploys Biometrics For Enterprise Mobile Banking

PYMNTS

Enterprise processes are starting to look a lot more like the consumer world. From procurement’s path to mimic an Amazon experience, to the Bring Your Own Device movement, corporates have embraced the movement toward user-friendly processes for the sake of convenience and efficiency. This consumerization of the enterprise has emerged as a heavyweight behind corporates’ digital transformations – but businesses aren’t consumers, and emerging technologies must address unique needs

B2B 46
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Sonos Pushes Forward With IPO

PYMNTS

Though not much of a surprise to anyone, speaker company Sonos has filed to go public, and will likely be trading on the public markets by the end of the month. The Wall Street Journal first reported that a June IPO was in the firm’s future back in April. The news comes as the company is reporting a net loss of $14.2 million on revenue of $992.5 million for its most recent fiscal year.

Sales 46
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How Winnie Wants To Build The Portal Parents Need

PYMNTS

Winnie – like so many tech innovations – started out as an attempt by its two co-founders to solve their own problems. And Winnie’s co-founders were something of a unique dynamic duo in Silicon Valley terms. Like many of their fellows, they were young, entrepreneurial and technology-minded. They also had resumes that included stints at a veritable catalog of tech headliners, including Twitter, Google, YouTube, Quora and Postmates (to name a few).

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Why Mobile Is The Merchant’s Secret Weapon At The Beach

PYMNTS

Summer is here, which means Americans will be decamping to the beach en masse this summer — hoping to escape the heat, get a tan and, hopefully, finally kick back relax to enjoy the season. Not as many Americans take vacations as they did in a bygone era — the Great Recession seems to have cured many people of the desire to take time off work, likely for fear of not still having working upon their return — but, according to estimates by AAA , tens of millions of Americans will decamp for parts u

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Book of Secrets on the Month-End Close

Based off SkyStem's popular e-Book, the book of secrets to the month-end close will be revealed in this one-hour webinar. Learn leading practices when it comes to building a strong and sustainable month-end close that has room to grow and evolve. Learn about the power of precise estimates, why reconciliations are critical to closing the books, how and when to automate, and how the chart of accounts play into your close process.

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IPOs Sizzle Amid Stocks, While Ripple Gets Served

PYMNTS

Sizzle. IPOs: See a renaissance of sorts, topping $35 billion in 2018, amid the fastest pace in 20 years and among verticals as far-flung as wholesale clubs and FinTech firms. The volume is the highest seen since 2014. Capital is flowing and investors’ pulses are quickening, it seems. Chatbots and the bottom line: Talk about money where the mouth is — kinda.

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Chip Card Shipments Top 2.3 Billion In 2017

PYMNTS

Generating year-on-year growth of nearly 4 percent, Smart Payment Association (SPA) data indicates that 2.3 billion payment chip cards were shipped worldwide in 2017. While shipment volumes in China and the United States “continue to normalize,” contactless payment cards are more than 70 percent of shipments in “a growing number of territories,” the association said in an announcement.

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How TV Can Support Digital Marketing And Online Payments

PYMNTS

By the cultural standards of today, the technology is ancient, born amid hot jazz and bootleg booze, when memories of the slaughters of the “The Great War” — now called World War I — were still fresh enough to hurt. History, though, is often wonderfully contradictory, even contrarian, and as the internet age matures, it is becoming more difficult to imagine digital life without the benefit of television.

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NEW DATA: Why Australians Haven’t Given Up On Cash

PYMNTS

In the 26 years of continued economic growth in Australia , cash has continued to play an imperative role. In 2016 alone, Australian consumers and businesses spent some $143 billion in cold, hard cash. But while the country sees a high usage of the age-old payment method, it is also seeing a proliferation of digital payment methods. Established financial institutions and up-and-coming FinTech startups alike are introducing an endless stream of new payments technologies.

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How To Break Digital Transformation Barriers And Accelerate AI Adoption

Speaker: Anna Tiomina, MBA

AI is reshaping industries, yet finance remains one of the slowest adopters. Concerns over compliance, legacy systems, and data silos have made finance teams hesitant to embrace AI-driven transformation. But delaying adoption isn’t just about efficiency—it’s about staying competitive in a rapidly evolving landscape. How can finance leaders overcome these challenges and start leveraging AI effectively?

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Personal Loans Are The Fastest-Growing Lending Category

PYMNTS

As a consumer lending category with the fastest growth, outstanding balances for personal loans jumped by about 18 percent to $120 billion in the first quarter. And the percentage of loans originated by FinTech firms is growing astronomically: While they originated less than 1 percent of personal loans in 2010, they originated 36 percent of them in 2017, Bloomberg reported.

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Five At Five: Amazon Prime’s Real Value

PYMNTS

Welcome to Five at Five, your late look at the day’s payments and commerce news. Coverage includes a discussion of the real value of Amazon Prime, and why Walgreens sees new profit in China. Alibaba has a new idea about fashion, Visa has a new path in Kuwait and there is new information about the impact of tariffs. Analyst: Amazon Prime Subscription Worth $180 Today.

Retail 44
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MoviePass Changes Subscription Plan, Increases Prices

PYMNTS

After telling subscribers in June that it would roll out “peak pricing,” MoviePass has announced surcharges based on demand. The fees will be based on a movie’s showtime and title and such showings would be highlighted with a lightning bolt icon, Variety reported. “Peak Pricing goes into effect when there’s high demand for a movie or showtime,” MoviePass told subscribers.

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Barnes And Noble Fires Its CEO

PYMNTS

A violation of company policies has cost Barnes & Noble CEO Demos Parneros his job. The retail chain did not detail the specific nature of how Parneros broke the rules but said that his firing “is not due to any disagreement with the company regarding its financial reporting, policies or practices or any potential fraud relating thereto,” according to a company filing on Thursday (July 5).

Retail 43
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New Software & You: Elevating Your Tech Stack

Speaker: Joe Wroblewski, Senior Sales Engineer

Is your tech stack working for you—or are you working for it ? 🤖 In today’s world of automation and AI, technology should simplify workflows—not add complexity. Seamless integration and interconnectivity are key to maximizing productivity, optimizing workflows, and improving collaboration. Join expert Joe Wroblewski for a practical and insightful session on how you can build a smarter, more connected tech stack that drives efficiency and long-term success!

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Investing In The Future As It Unfolds

PYMNTS

Here is a quick survey of the world of payments, commerce, financial services and financial technology at the mid-point of 2018. Everyone is trying to get on board with what’s next, but, of course, there is no single, easy answer for anyone. Retailers not only know how to hit the reset button, but — as Sharper Image has demonstrated — they also know how to keep hitting it.

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Strong Cash Flow Has SMBs Pulling Back Financing Demand

PYMNTS

Strong cash flow among U.S. small businesses means less demand for financing, and trend is reflected in the latest figures from Pepperdine University ‘s Graziadio Business School in conjunction with Dun & Bradstreet. Reports in The Washington Post on Monday (July 2) said the survey shows small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in the U.S. reported strong cash flows in the second quarter of this year, and fewer businesses are seeking external financing as a result.

Finance 43
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Maintaining Compliance In A Market Of Bank-FinTech Tie-Ups

PYMNTS

The vast majority of traditional financial institutions (FIs) plan to increase their collaborative efforts with the FinTech world, according to a PwC report published last year. With competition heating up from the FinTech firms themselves, banks seek efficient, affordable ways to improve their services without having to entirely scrap decades of legacy infrastructure already in place.

Finance 43
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CashFlows Launches BIN Sponsorship Service

PYMNTS

CashFlows said this week (July 3) that it has launched a product designed to make it easier for smaller firms to issue prepaid cards and do payment processing through such major networks as Visa and Mastercard. CashFlows said it will provide a bank identification number (BIN) sponsorship service by working with Open Payments Cloud. According to a press release , that will enable “new payment innovators to issue prepaid cards and process payments through major global payment schemes like Visa and

Sales 43
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The Human Side of Finance: The Intersectionality of People, Culture, Adaptability, and Resilience

Speaker: Melissa Hurrington

Finance isn’t just about the numbers. It’s about the people behind them. In a world of constant disruption, resilient finance teams aren’t just operationally efficient. They are adaptable, engaged, and deeply connected to a strong organizational culture. Success lies at the intersection of people, culture, adaptability, and resilience. Finance leaders who master this balance will build teams that thrive through uncertainty and drive long-term business impact.