PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 29, 2016

Cloud computing, say its proponents, has several advantages over hardware-based systems. Flexibility of the technology is one selling point; updates can be managed remotely and instantly, information can be shared over multiple locations in real time and costs are lower. To that end, NYMBUS, a core banking software company based in Florida, has partnered with Geezeo, a white-label personal finance management solutions provider that caters to banks and credit unions.

Finance 43

Finance B2B Analyzing Data Banking 43

Planful

FEBRUARY 24, 2016

CFOs need to embrace integrated financial planning, while leveraging emerging technologies into the planning process. With the help of technology, businesses can speed up the budgeting cycle, free up resources, create up-to-date forecasts, and reduce the potential for error. Keeping Up with Growing Data. Businesses need to adapt to new technologies in order to enhance efficiency.

Planning 40

Planning Forecasting Leverage Budgeting 40

PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 26, 2016

Generally speaking, it is hard to think of social media as something that is making the world a more inclusive place – given its occasional status as a toxic swamp of intolerance and cruelty. But social media has the ability to give more than men’s rights activists, bigots, misanthropes, political extremists and conspiracy theorists a venue to spout their more interesting ideas about the world and how it works.

Retail 42

Retail Marketing Leverage Numbers 42

PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 24, 2016

In a sign that small business lending may be well on its way to moving beyond the traditional conduits of big banks and other larger financial players, online platform Lendio, which helps smaller companies find access to capital, reported heady growth for 2015. The company said Wednesday (Feb. 24) that its revenues were up more than 100 percent year over year, with one figure posting growth of more than 1,000 percent — 1,175 percent to be exact — as the company facilitated more than $128 million

Construction 42

Construction Finance Banking Securities 42

Speaker: Michael Veatch, Senior Director, Implementations & Ella Aguirre, Director of Solution Consulting

Embedding payments can be a transformative step for software companies looking to enhance their platform capabilities, boost customer satisfaction, and drive long-term growth. However, the success of payments hinges on a single thing: implementation. Drawing on real-world insights and experiences, payments implementation experts Michael Veatch and Ella Aguirre will explore actionable strategies that can lead to a transparent, friction-free launch and mitigate potential challenges like technical

Investments

PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 29, 2016

I, Shopper, take thee, Online Retailer, to be my faithful partner in commerce. To have and to hold from this day forward — for better, for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health — to love and to cherish, till death us do part. How very unlikely these days. Shoppers just aren’t as loyal as they once were. Today, fewer than a third say that membership in loyalty programs drives their choice of retailer.

Retail 44

Retail Sales Numbers Accounting 44

PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 23, 2016

Last year, starting in about August, the big EMV countdown was underway — though the question as to whether they were going to “make it” was already answered. They weren’t. As of the liability shift on Oct. 1, around half of “big retailers” had EMV while smaller retailers were clocking in at 10 percent to 33 percent, depending on whose count one liked.

Retail 41

Retail Manufacturing Securities Planning 41

PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 29, 2016

It looks like Snapchat has been scammed by an enterprising phisherman who managed to collect personal data on about 700 employees of the social media service. According to reports that appeared overnight in Los Angeles Times , a payroll department employee accidentally emailed the personal information of about 700 employees (current and past) to someone masquerading as Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel.

Securities 41

Securities Numbers 41

PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 26, 2016

Alibaba is reportedly after a $4 billion loan from banks as it seeks backing for its expansion plans, according to unnamed sources who spoke to The Wall Street Journal. The news hints at what’s next for the Internet giant, which could include further acquisitions that Alibaba may want to get its hands into, the sources said. This follows Alibaba’s recent surge of spending — somewhere in the billions — on major expansion/acquisition plans in its home country of China — and abroad.

Banking 41

Banking Investments Retail Planning 41

PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 25, 2016

Who has more difficulty finding clothes they like: women or men? Stitch Fix, the once-female-only styling service and apparel retailer, has changed its answer from the former to “both.” In an interview with Re/code , Stitch Fix Founder and CEO Katrina Lake explained that the San Francisco-based startup will be adding lines of men’s clothing products and male fashion stylists to help match the right pieces to the right customers.

Startups 41

Startups Retail Investments Marketing 41

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.

Accounting

PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 24, 2016

With a unique customer experience becoming ever more important in retail, virtual reality could play a significant part in those efforts. That’s the case made in a recent story from Forbes , which examines the growing trend of virtual reality (VR) in retail applications, paying particular focus to a number of Samsung’s offerings. The outlet shares that Samsung debuted a VR experience at select AT&T stores last week, which includes a virtual Carnival cruise for users outfitted wit

Retail 41

Retail Technology Numbers 41

PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 29, 2016

Just because businesses are interested and willing to adopt payments innovations doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. Other key players in the adoption curve include government entities and financial institutions, says Bottomline Technologies Managing Director of Digital Banking Norm DeLuca. Governments and banks have a lot to do with developing an ecosystem that supports adoption of payments technologies for both consumers and corporates, and DeLuca sees some stark differences between the U.K. an

Accounts Payable 41

Accounts Payable Technology Banking B2B 41

PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 24, 2016

With the 2016 presidential race in full swing, many important economic issues are being discussed. One of the most significant: the health and importance of small businesses, and in particular, the “mom and pop” shops that line the main streets and side streets of our local communities. These businesses – we call them Store Fronts — represent 3.8 million businesses, accounting for nearly 37 percent of all SMBs.

Construction 40

Construction Forecasting Economics Retail 40

PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 23, 2016

Yesterday, PYMNTS detailed what happened during Day 1 of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. That included news like Visa’s car-based commerce deal, and its plans to expand Visa Checkout. It also detailed a series of news announcements from MasterCard, including details about its “selfie pay” expansion plan, MasterPass expansion plans, MasterCard’s IQ Series, its partnership with Coin, and its wearable payments play.

Securities 40

Securities Banking Technology Startups 40

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.

Accounting

PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 29, 2016

Bad loans – they’re everywhere! Well, not really. Mostly in the energy sector. Oh, and by the way, autos too, it looks like. The Wall Street Journal reported Monday (Feb. 29) that the banks have got a new sector to worry about, which comes on four wheels. With the caveat that problem loans on banks’ books tied to auto lending are thus far “at an early stage and manageable,” the warning signs are there that trouble may be in the offing.

Banking 40

Banking Securities Numbers 40

PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 29, 2016

Go ahead and blink, but the Internet of Things is everywhere around us. And, increasingly, IoT is on us. To get insight into the big picture of IoT, PYMNTS recently interviewed Sanket Amberkar, Senior Director of Innovation and New Ventures at Flextronics, a technology development company that is a big player in the IoT space. When talking IoT with someone from Flex, the first thing you should probably know is the company prefers to call it the “Intelligence of Things,” Amberkar said.

Manufacturing 40

Manufacturing Communication Transportation Technology 40

PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 26, 2016

Mobile World Congress 2016 is in the books, but the conversations and topics that drove the announcements of the week are sure to be driving the innovations for much of the next few years across the payments, tech, commerce, and security industries. But what were some of the biggest trends that hit social media this week during mobile’s big event in Barcelona?

Entertainment 40

Entertainment Securities 40

PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 24, 2016

When it comes to a retailer protecting its assets — digital and otherwise — the intrinsic assumption might be that the focus ought to look outward. But the reality is that the greatest security threat facing retail companies, according to a number of recent surveys, often comes from within. And we’re not just talking about sales floor employees with occasionally sticky fingers (although we are talking about that, to some degree); we’re talking about advanced cybercrime.

Retail 40

Retail Securities Risk Management Sales 40

Advertisement

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.

Reconciliations

PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 24, 2016

Western Union is being questioned by the European Union’s antitrust regulators in relation to allegations that it conspired with banks to push its rivals out of the money-transfer market. “Western Union is cooperating with the European Commission following a request for information on the company’s business in Europe,” spokesman Daniel Diaz said in an email, according to Reuters.

Marketing 40

Marketing Banking Accounting Securities 40

PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 24, 2016

Mintos, a Latvian P2P lending startup, which provides a platform for investors to finance nonbank lender loans, has raised $2.2 million in a seed funding round led by Riga, Latvia-based VC Skillion Ventures. The year-old company helps its investors find loans they can fund or buy from alt-lenders who are looking to liquidate their investment. Mintos CEO and Cofounder Martins Sulte (left) with CFO and Cofounder Martins Valters (right).

Startups 40

Startups CFO Investments Finance 40

PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 29, 2016

Concur is on a roll when it comes to partnerships , linking companies like Lyft and HotelTonight with its corporate travel and expense management solutions for more streamlined business travel. Even more recently, the company cozied up to Booking.com. Its latest collaboration is with travel management firm CTI. Their tie-up, announced last Friday (Feb. 26), sees CTI giving its corporate clients access to Concur’s expense management solutions, a move made to help customers gain deeper insight int

Finance 40

Finance B2B 40

PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 29, 2016

Despite many customers’ perceptions that tech companies like to beta test their new products and services as initial releases, Amazon has been cautious with its restaurant delivery program. However, now that several U.S. cities have been taken under the Prime Now umbrella, is it time for some transatlantic countries to get in on the fun? That’s the report from Reuters.

Budgeting 40

Budgeting Planning Marketing 40

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

Sales

PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 29, 2016

Most of the time, the big battles in retail take place on the battlefields of brick-and-mortar storefronts and customers’ keyboards. However, that doesn’t mean all the money corporations spend on legal team retainers is completely wasted. Reuters reported that, despite a string of losses in the courtroom and an order to pay Apple $120 million in damages for patent infringement, Samsung received a bit of good news on Friday (Feb. 26): The U.S.

Technology 40

Technology Retail Numbers Marketing 40

PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 29, 2016

Contactless spending in the United Kingdom tripled last year to hit £7.75 billion ($10.76 billion) in transaction volume, marking a sharp spike from the £2.32 billion ($3.22 billion) spent in 2014. The growth of contactless spending, which more than doubled in volume than the last seven years combined, comes on the heels of widespread adoption by Transport for London (TfL), which now sees over a million journeys being paid for by contactless methods every day.

Transportation 40

Transportation Securities Numbers Technology 40

PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 25, 2016

Mobile money transfer service WorldRemit announced Wednesday (Feb. 24) that it has launched in California. Regarded as the U.K.’s fasted growing startup, WorldRemit said it has set its sights on California, as the state is home to one in four migrants in the U.S. California will also stand as the company’s second largest market to date. “WorldRemit allows people to send money to family and friends with the speed and convenience they have come to expect in our connected world.

Valuation 40

Valuation Communication Startups Banking 40

PYMNTS

FEBRUARY 24, 2016

If you ask its customers, they do not come first at Walmart, and, therefore, the world’s largest retailer ranks last in their opinion when it comes to customer service. That’s where Walmart came out among department and discount stores in the previous American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI); the chain actually dropped two points in maintaining the bottom spot in the latest edition, reports CBS News.

Retail 40

Retail 40

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.

Marketing