January, 2019

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Credit Unions Step Up During Government Shutdown

PYMNTS

There is no shortage of headlines about the partial government shutdown that is now on its 27th day, and no shortage of articles speculating how long it will go on, what will be affected and (most often) what it will take to finally bring it to an end. There is, yet, one simple takeaway from all of them: So far, there is no end in sight. While that can — and hopefully will — change any day now, the reality is that the longer the government remains partially closed for business, the longer 800,00

Nonprofit 105
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Robert J. Shiller on Bubbles, Reflexivity, and Narrative Economics

CFA Institute

Robert J. Shiller has shown remarkable prescience over the years. And with talk of inverted yield curves, overvalued stock markets, and imminent recession, the present struck us as an opportune time to see what was on his mind.

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Trending Sources

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2019 Sales Resolutions: Keep momentum and add some firsts

Anaplan

If January 1 is a good time for reflections and resolutions, late January—right now is even better. Think about it: it’s the first moment of breath after the inevitable burst of post-New Year’s activity.

Sales 66
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Cherry Home CEO: The Future Of Smart Homes And Independent Senior Living

PYMNTS

When talking about advances in home automation and artificial intelligence (AI)-guided systems for consumers, the conversation has a natural tendency to drift toward younger consumers, particularly millennials. That focus isn’t unwarranted, as there are 75 million millennials, and the older half of that generation (the group PYMNTS has termed Bridge Millennials ) is much more likely than the average consumer to own a smart device, and more likely to use it to make a purchase.

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From Start to Scale: Driving Growth Through Seamless Payments Implementation

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

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2019: Big Payment, Commerce And Tech IPOs Loom On The Horizon

PYMNTS

Tech companies are taking more time to reach their initial public offerings, with the median gap between their early financing and their IPOs hitting 10.1 years in 2017, up from 6.9 years in 2013, according to a recent estimate. A robust supply of private capital reportedly is one of the main reasons for that, along with corporate cultures that are averse to public markets.

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Amazon Plans Whole Foods Expansions In Closed Sears Stores

PYMNTS

Amazon has its eyes on expansion for its Whole Foods brand in closed Sears and Kmart stores, according to a report by Yahoo! Finance. The recent woes of Sears and other struggling retailers are seen as an opportunity for the online retail giant. Sources told Yahoo! that the company is visiting sites of now defunct retail spaces. For example, Whole Foods managers went to a site in Utah that used to be a Kmart.

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Why Africa Is eCommerce’s Next Great Frontier

PYMNTS

Africa as next great eCommerce frontier? The ingredients for a revolution in payments across the region, fueled by demographics and technology, seem to be there. In an interview with PYMNTs’ Karen Webster, Saqib Nazir, managing director of Africa at Emergent Technology delved into the ways the payments landscape across Africa is ripe for digital and mobile conduits, and a “cash light” mentality that focuses on the needs and desires of a burgeoning and youthful population.

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In 2019, Mobilize The Commercial Card: JPMorgan

PYMNTS

While commercial card innovation certainly accelerated in 2018, progress can always continue. One area of development that J.P. Morgan Managing Director and Head of Commercial Card Product Management Naney Pandit says should be a focus this year is in mobilizing the corporate card. It’s not altogether an unfamiliar concept, of course. Much attention has been paid to mobile business payments in the fleet sector in particular, with Comdata launching its mobile app, Comdata OnRoad, that links

B2B 84
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Fortnite’s In-Game Currency Used In Money Laundering Schemes

PYMNTS

A new report has revealed that Fortnite’s in-game currency is being used to launder money from stolen credit cards. According to a report by The Independent and cybersecurity firm Sixgill , a hacker will access someone else’s credit card information, and then use it to create a Fortnite account and buy V-bucks, which is the game’s currency. Once the account fills up with V-bucks, it is then sold through a legitimate vendor like eBay, or on the dark web, for lower rates that the $10 for 1,000 gam

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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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Blockchain Makes Inroads Into Banking

PYMNTS

In Asia, blockchain continues to get a boost from government and regulatory efforts, especially in the realm of trade finance done across borders. In one example from the past several days, the China Banking Association (CBA) — the regulatory agency tied to the sector — has launched a new blockchain-underpinned initiative focused on trade finance.

Banking 82
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Stripe Raises $100M, Boosting Valuation To $22.5B

PYMNTS

Stripe, the San Francisco digital payments startup, has landed a $100 million investment from Tiger Global Management, boosting its valuation above $20 billion. According to a report in CNBC , citing The Information, with the $100 million investment by Tiger Global Management , Stripe now has a valuation of $22.5 billion. It comes on the heels of Stripe raising $245 million in a Series E round of fundraising last fall.

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Mastercard Fined $648.3 Million By EU Over Interchange Fees

PYMNTS

Mastercard was slapped with a $648.3 million fine by the European Union, which alleged that the payments company raised the costs of card payments artificially. According to a report in Reuters , citing the European Commission, the bloc’s antitrust regulator, the move is part of an effort on the part of European regulators to stamp out fees that U.S. credit card companies charge.

Retail 82
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How AR/VR Tech Is Reshaping Retail

PYMNTS

Before consumers started to trade brick-and-mortar shopping experiences for eCommerce websites, retailers could bring customers through their doors with window displays. Now, with this shift, retailers are creating engaging experiences that digitally-connected consumers can tap into online with the help of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies.

Retail 81
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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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Corporates Step Up To Welcome AI, Blockchain

PYMNTS

In a recent report published by Protiviti and North Carolina State University, analysts found just how important technology and innovation are becoming for corporate executives. Their December 2018 survey found “digital readiness” to be the c-suite’s top priority for 2019, with executives also reflecting their concern that the biggest risks their companies face are intensifying.

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Credit Card Surcharges OK’ed In New York

PYMNTS

New York has banned the ban. In the wake of court filings this week that effectively ended a challenge to surcharges on credit card transactions in New York, merchants in the Empire State can indeed embrace those fees, contingent upon stating those costs to consumers up front. The merchant plaintiffs and the state of New York filed motions on Jan. 8 to dismiss a challenge to such charges, seemingly capping a battle stretching back years.

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Nearly 100 Chinese Tech Startups Hit Unicorn Status In 2018

PYMNTS

China’s startup market had a good year in 2018, with close to 100 technology companies garnering a valuation of more than $1 billion. Known as unicorns, the companies were led by eCommerce and video streaming services, the Financial Times reported, citing data from Hurun’s ranking of China’s top tech companies. According to the report, Hurun, which also produces the annual rich list for China, found there are 186 Chinese tech startups that have valuations of more than $1 billio

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Physical Retail Isn’t Dead – The Physical Store Model Is

PYMNTS

It looks like we can finally have a serious conversation about the impending collapse of physical retail in the U.S. All it took was a 160-year old retailer and a $34 billion kick in the stomach to the retail sector to get everyone’s attention. News last week that Macy’s profits would take an unexpected Q4 nosedive set off a retail stock market shock wave that wiped $34 billion in value from the sector.

Retail 79
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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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2019: The Year Of Instant Payments

PYMNTS

Here’s a 2019 prediction that we guarantee will come true: There will be no human being or business adamantly hoping to be paid slower in 2019 than they were in 2018. We also guarantee that this prediction will hold, regardless of who one is talking about or the use case to which it pertains. That could be the small merchant wanting access to their daily sales on the same day instead of seven days later, the dad who just sent $100 to his college-age kid to buy food for the weekend, an Uber drive

Sales 79
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Deep Dive: Why Smart Cities Should Get Smart About Digital ID

PYMNTS

The rapid rise of smart cities promises to connect citizens with a wide range of municipal services. By some accounts , approximately 70 percent of the world’s population will reside in smart cities by 2050. Citizens in this type of environment will find a host of connected devices designed to enhance their daily routines, such as smart parking meters that help drivers find and pay for parking.

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Why Banks’ Immune Systems Need Both AI And Human Boosts

PYMNTS

As fraudsters become more brazen in their efforts, banks are realizing they need to do more than simply respond to suspicious activities as they find them. Instead, a deeper understanding of fraud — down to its genetic outline — is needed to be truly effective in fighting it. The new Digital Banking Tracker highlights how banks are adopting new approaches to protect their customers and clients from nefarious actors.

Banking 79
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AI Can’t Be Bottled Up — But Will The US Give It A Try?

PYMNTS

New technologies face numerous tests that go beyond whether they work. Will consumers use them for daily or near-daily tasks? Are there pragmatic business models associated with them? How will they scale? And how will regulators and lawmakers respond? Artificial intelligence — arguably one of the most important digital technologies going into 2019 — could soon face export regulations set by the U.S.

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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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Warehouse Robots Pave The Way For More AI Logistics

PYMNTS

Robots have taken their place inside eCommerce and other commerce-related warehouses, and will in the coming years take even larger roles in fulfillment, according to estimates. Hot on their trail are machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) technology — the software and algorithms promising to reduce the risks of overstocking and understocking, and providing other benefits that can boost retailers’ revenue.

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What Australia Can Teach The World About Real-Time Payments

PYMNTS

On the face of it, the lure of real-time payments might seem like an inevitability. The concept is gaining traction and deployment across any number of avenues and several countries. In a recent example, in the U.S., a number of leading tech companies have become vocal in their support of a real-time payments (RTP) network, to be created under the leadership of the Federal Reserve and different from what has been previously proposed by the big banks.

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Fresh Holiday eCommerce Data: Another Nail In Physical Retail’s Coffin?

PYMNTS

Online retail and mobile commerce had their shining moments over the 2018 holiday shopping season — the latest evidence of that comes from Adobe Analytics , which said that U.S. consumers spent a record $126 billion online during that period, above the company’s earlier projection. The new figure comes amid fresh questions coming out of that holiday season about the viability of brick-and-mortar retail sales.

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Blockchain Tries To Jolt B2B eCommerce Into The Digital Age

PYMNTS

The complexities and demands of B2B eCommerce can be significantly greater than those of the consumer digital shopping realm. While that characteristic can be an argument for why it is imperative that B2B commerce goes digital, it’s also one of the biggest reasons why the industry is struggling to make progress. Procurement officials and business professionals may prefer to shop online for their companies today, but only about 10 percent of B2B sales of products and services are online, ac

B2B 78
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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.