October, 2016

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How To ‘Moneyball’ Restaurants

PYMNTS

National treasure Kim Kardashian has taught us all a series of invaluable lessons over the years: how to break the internet, that there is no such thing as too much eyeliner and that, if you are on the phone with Taylor Swift, the smart money is on hitting the record button. But of all the lessons we have learned from Kim — and later, Kimye — the most crucial, deepest and most fundamental is that, if one can get themselves behind the velvet rope, one should do so because life in the VIP suite is

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How Visa And Intel Are Creating A Security Standard For The IoT

PYMNTS

While hacks have been nearly endemic over the last several years, they have, at this point, mostly faded to the level of background noise for the average consumer. Sure, the aftermath of having a card compromised is often annoying and involves changing cards stored in digital wallets and with subscription sites, but consumers know that their bank has their back.

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Diwali Lights Up Bitcoin

PYMNTS

It’s not yet the holidays, but it’s almost Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, a fitting theme for today’s bitcoin news. Diwali lasts for five days beginning Oct. 20, and bright lights, colorful decorations and fireworks mark the occasion. The Indian people celebrate by lighting diyas and candles around the home, seeking divine blessings from the goddess of wealth and exchanging gifts, such as gold coins.

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Got Gigs?

PYMNTS

Toasting new employment? Odds are increasingly good that you may be clinking your glass over your latest gig. The number of Americans working gig jobs — or short-term, ad hoc positions — grew at a rate of 50 percent from 2005 to 2010, while the gig economy gained 9.4 million new workers, outpacing the U.S. economy as a whole. But there is still much not known about this rapidly expanding portion of the economy, as the Bureau of Labor Statistics stopped collecting data on gigs in 2005 and won’t b

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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.

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Is Being Closed On Thanksgiving The New Trend?

PYMNTS

Is closing on Thanksgiving day becoming the new being open on Thanksgiving day? This week, Mall of America, the nation’s largest shopping mall, announced it was bucking the recent trend of opening stores to shoppers on Thanksgiving. Instead, Mall of America said it would close on Thanksgiving so its 14,000 or so employees could have the day off to spend time with their family, although the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that the more than 520 stores inside Mall of America will have the option

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Payments Takes The (NFL Football) Field

PYMNTS

Payments take the football field, but consumers call the plays. That’s how Dan Charron , EVP and Head of Global Business Solutions for First Data , sees it and how he describes the latest rollout of its commerce technology solution at CenturyLink Field Event Center and CenturyLink Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks , aimed at taking the fan experience to the next level.

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The Uber Of Fitness Trainers: Handstand

PYMNTS

Did you know that physical trainers and fitness instructors only get paid a very small fraction of the cost you pay the gym per hour? After they’ve pushed you to do a hundred burpees or gotten you to achieve that perfect yoga Crow Pose, they may end up with only $20. When your endorphins wear off, you’ll also notice that your wallet could be a $150 per hour lighter.

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Weird Commerce: MUFON, Investigating UFOs Since 1969

PYMNTS

Ever seen a UFO? Could it have really been a bird, plane or you-know-who? That’s where 47-year-old nonprofit MUFON comes in to debunk or detail what you saw. “Sometimes, people say they saw a UFO, and immediately, people think they said, ‘I saw a flying saucer,’” said Rodger Roeser, spokesperson for MUFON, which literally investigates unidentified flying objects.

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Weird Commerce: Skulls Unlimited, A Living Company From Animal Remains

PYMNTS

Coyote, bobcat, armadillo and … human skulls. Perhaps counterintuitively, Skulls Unlimited , a company that sells skulls — yes, animal and human skulls — sees its biggest uptick in purchases closer to Christmas, rather than before Halloween. “This time of year, we start getting in more orders. Halloween, not as much, but most people looking for Halloween decorations quickly realize that we’re not offering skulls for that purpose,” said Josh Villemarette , co-owner and son of the fou

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Maximizing Profit and Productivity: The New Era of AI-Powered Accounting

Speaker: Yohan Lobo

In the accounting world, staying ahead means embracing the tools that allow you to work smarter, not harder. Outdated processes and disconnected systems can hold your organization back, but the right technologies can help you streamline operations, boost productivity, and improve client delivery. Dive into the strategies and innovations transforming accounting practices.

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More Retailers Just Saying No To Opening On Thanksgiving

PYMNTS

Though for a few years there it really looked like it might simply become retail standard, it seems that starting the Thanksgiving weekend sales crush on Thanksgiving may fizzle out after all. According to reporting over the weekend, an increasing number of big retailers are actually taking the national day of thanksgiving off. So far, the known opt-outs include Home Depot, Nordstrom , Costco, BJ’s, Fred’s Pharmacy, GameStop, Harbor Freight, Lowe’s, Pier 1 Imports, Petco, PetSmart, Sam’s C

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Can Optimove Change The Apathetic CRM Space?

PYMNTS

Small and medium-sized businesses eager to attract and retain loyal customers are even more eager to harness the power of machine learning and artificial intelligence. Software based on these technologies can make predictions on customers’ behavior, assess their potential as repeat purchasers and automate communications that will stimulate buying behavior, or even do it for them.

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Ask The Doctor To Start Accepting Bitcoin As Payment

PYMNTS

Canadian startup Ask The Doctor announced Ask The Doctor To Start Accepting Bitcoin As Payment on Wednesday (Oct. 12) it is now accepting bitcoin as a new way to further help protect its patients’ privacy. In a press release , the company said that users can choose to pay for advice from a physician by bitcoin on Ask The Doctor’s desktop platform.

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Oberthur Supports Mobile Payments Future In The Nordics

PYMNTS

Oberthur Technologies (OT) is partnering with payments service provider Nets to deliver support for mobile payments to Scandinavian banks. The collaboration, announced on Thursday (Oct. 6), is aimed at helping to service banks in the Nordics with a financial platform that supports future international mobile payment methods. Nets and OT will combine their capabilities to offer an end-to-end mobile payment solution, which will include Host Card Emulation (HCE) and tokenization to secure payments

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Smarter Card Solutions: Meeting the Challenges of Mid-Market Travel & Expense

Our 2025 Center Travel Survey is clear: as corporate travel increases, so does corporate credit cards distribution, and a rise in off-platform travel booking. This 61% rise causes various challenges: compliance, spend control, reporting problems, and a lack of visibility across organizations. To evolve with the ever-changing needs of travelers, decision-makers need a better solution.

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Ringing In The eCommerce Christmas Season

PYMNTS

American consumers have big plans for the holiday season when it comes to their shopping, according to a report. A new survey by Deloitte revealed that 50 percent of shoppers plan to shop online for their holiday gifts, spending roughly half (47 percent) of their budget online. More than 5,000 consumers in the U.S. were surveyed, and the research showed that physical stores are not likely to see a surge in traffic. “Retailers must cater to that digital mindset long before someone walks int

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When It Comes To Paid Social Media, Facebook Leads The Way

PYMNTS

Retailers continue to rely on paid search and email marketing channels, but mobile marketing and social media are continuing to increase in popularity as a way for businesses to grow their customer acquisition, according to a new study. The study, entitled “ The State of Retailing Online 2016: Marketing and Merchandising ,” by the National Retail Federation and Forrester, a research and advisory firm for the retail industry, polled 240 companies from June through July.

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The True Face Of A Fraudster Mastermind

PYMNTS

Versatility is an attribute that many value — that kind of all-around utility player who can substitute for a key player or employee in a pinch. That’s also the skill set of the “Arch Fraudster,” which makes them efficient as a fraudster and a dangerous nemesis to the online retailer. In the most recent installment of the Meet The Fraudsters series, Gilit Saporta , senior fraud analyst at Forter , sheds light on this somewhat mysterious but dangerous fraudster profile.

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Apple Pay, Masterpass Make It Into New York MTA’s Ticket App

PYMNTS

Apple Pay and Masterpass digital wallet technology are making their way to New York, with Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announcing the addition of the two payment methods to MTA eTix, the mobile ticketing app that enables Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Rail Road customers to buy tickets whenever they want. According to a report, starting Thursday (Oct. 6), customers will be able to use both services to buy one-way, round-trip, 10-trip, weekly and monthly passes and CityTickets on MTA eTix.

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Bringing AI to Finance: How to Leverage Technology for Efficiency and Control

Finance teams are balancing more than ever, but manual processes shouldn’t slow you down. In this ebook from BILL, discover how AI is transforming finance—automating AP, expense tracking, and document management to reduce errors, increase efficiency, and improve financial control. Learn how real companies are using AI-powered automation to streamline workflows, detect anomalies, and gain deeper insights.

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Why Emburse Opened Its vCard Solution To Developers

PYMNTS

When expense management firm Emburse launched only a year ago, the company entered the market with a commercial card service, issuing virtual and physical prepaid debit cards for specific purchases in an effort to help companies more closely manage employee spend. But as the company has grown, so have its clients, said Cofounder Roger Gu in a recent interview with PYMNTS.

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Are Connected Devices Threatening Payment Security?

PYMNTS

When one door closes, another (connected) one opens. At least that may be the mindset for the cybercriminals reportedly flocking to connected devices as an entry point into the networks and systems of businesses. From Wi-Fi hotspots to printers, unsecured routers to digital video recorders — connected devices can be vulnerable to hacks and, when compromised, are being used by hackers to launch significant distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.

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Why Retailers Should Look For More From Their Vendors

PYMNTS

Out of the ever-growing list of things retailers have as priorities, stopping fraud — not selling more goods and services — has now claimed the online retailer’s top spot. That’s the finding of Forrester’s 2016 “State of Retail Payments 2016” report. Michael Reitblat , CEO of Forter , isn’t at all surprised. The mere increase in the number of fraud attempts year over year and quarter over quarter is enough to shake even the most hardened eTailer to her knees.

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RBS’ Small Business Scandal: What You Need To Know

PYMNTS

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) became the new face of scandal on Monday (Oct. 10) when leaked documents surfaced that seem to show new evidence the bank profited from the demise of small and medium-sized businesses. It’s a riveting saga involving allegations of an internal project codenamed “Dash For Cash,” emerging from internal documents obtained and outlined by BuzzFeed News and BBC “Newsnight.” But the story of claims that RBS gained from SME failures dates back t

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Say ‘Goodbye’ to Clunky Spreadsheets and Say ‘Hello’ to Month-End Automation

Technology is rapidly changing the way accountants perform and manage month-end activities. Spreadsheets, emails, and shared drives no longer need to slow you down. In under four weeks, your team can start reaping the benefits of month-end close automation by vastly reducing spreadsheets, cut down on reconciliation work, speed up the month-end close, and better manage your remote team.

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Etsy Partners With Adyen For Better Payment Processing

PYMNTS

Etsy buyers and sellers are about to get a boost in enhanced payment experience. Payments company Adyen announced crafting a global partnership with online marketplace Etsy, covering both the U.S. and European markets, as well as other key markets where Etsy maintains a presence. Peer-to-peer eCommerce site Etsy includes a marketplace of 1.7 million sellers offering unique, vintage and handmade items.

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Identifying What’s Next In Digital Identity

PYMNTS

If you’re playing the slots in Vegas this week, there’s a good chance they’re coming up: Biometrics; EMV chip cards; Mobile security. Again. And if you’ve been following the Digital Identity Tracker™ (or just the industry itself) in the 12 months since last year’s Money20/20 conference in Las Vegas, these three topics have been constant newsmakers, as security providers and businesses alike look to offer top-notch protections in an age of rising fraud and cybercrime.

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Visa Announces New B2B Payments Using Blockchain

PYMNTS

Visa and Chain today [October 21] announced that Visa B2B Connect – a B2B payment platform based on blockchain – will be piloted in 2017. Visa hopes that Visa B2B Connect will give financial institutions fast and secure processing of global B2B payments. The announcement of B2B Connect also marks the second stage of Visa’s relationship with Chain.

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Visa Takes Inspiration From Bitcoin For Cross-Border Payments

PYMNTS

Visa has its eyes set on an international prize, and it’s planning to take some cues from a new type of currency in order to win it. According to The Wall Street Journal , the company recently rolled out a new technology aimed at taking on a new market by offering international B2B payments. The product is called Visa B2B Connect and, according to recent reports, will use a network modeled after the one powering bitcoin to navigate the complex world of cross-border payments between two companies

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Outsourcing Vs. In-House: The Ultimate Battle For Better Collections

Speaker: Susan Richards

Your past-due accounts are growing, cash flow is tightening, and the pressure is on. The big question: Do you handle the collections internally or outsource to experts? Both strategies come with advantages and risks - but which one delivers the best impact for your business? In this session we’ll dive deep into the in-house vs. outsourcing debate, examining cost-effectiveness, efficiency, compliance risks, and overall recovery success rates.