PYMNTS

MARCH 29, 2019

Federal Bank in India has partnered with blockchain payments company Ripple to facilitate cross-border payments, according to reports. Federal Bank confirmed the collaboration in an announcement to the Bombay Stock Exchange on Thursday (March 28). “ This is to inform Federal Bank has entered into a partnership with Ripple Inc, a blockchain supported global remittance company, for cross border remittance through its network, ” the announcement said. “ Powered by blockchain-enabled solution, the R

Banking 96

Banking Risk Management Currencies Economics 96

CFA Institute

MARCH 5, 2019

True to his Dr. Doom moniker, Nouriel Roubini believes that vulnerabilities in the system are currently hidden and will emerge when the next economic downturn occurs.

Economics 72

Economics Investments 72

PYMNTS

MARCH 26, 2019

Ditch the plastic? Maybe, but not yet — and maybe not for a while. The world knows by now that Apple has debuted its credit card — the Apple Card — in conjunction with Goldman Sachs and Mastercard. The card is available in both virtual and tangible, plastic forms. The broad outline is one where the digital version of the card can be used wherever Apple Pay is accepted.

Securities 95

Securities Entertainment Numbers Technology 95

PYMNTS

MARCH 18, 2019

Is there a right way and wrong way to innovate? For banks interested in transforming their brick-and-mortar branches, maybe, according to Diebold Nixdorf Senior Director of Advisory Services Chris Gill. Gill asserts that most financial institutions, left to their own devices, may end up following a less than optimal path to innovation, and not because they have selected the “wrong” technology solution, since in Gill’s experience, what’s “wrong” for one FI might be right for another.

Technology 94

Technology Banking Investments Compliance 94

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

MARCH 18, 2019

Fidelity Information Services ( FIS ), a global financial services technology company, announced Monday (March 18) it is merging with Worldpay , the global eCommerce and payments company, in a roughly $35 billion dollar deal. In a press release , FIS said the deal expands its capabilities by enhancing its acquiring and payment offerings. For Worldpay, it expands its distribution footprint and accelerates its entrance into new regions.

eCommerce 94

eCommerce Currencies Banking Marketing 94

PYMNTS

MARCH 20, 2019

Amazon Pay is a well-established payment method across online commerce — and not only because it’s the home payment method of the largest, most successful eCommerce platform in the U.S. Amazon Pay also has a rich and full existence outside of its website, as scores of merchants around the world and web have made Amazon Pay available as a payment method.

Reconciliations 90

Reconciliations eCommerce Currencies Retail 90

PYMNTS

MARCH 4, 2019

To help keep the prices of food and drinks low, the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta is about to become cashless. Only credit cards, debit cards and mobile payments will be accepted at the venue beginning on March 10, Bloomberg reported. With the change, the costs of working with cash, such as reconciliation and physical cash drawers, are said to be removed.

Reconciliations 90

Reconciliations Accounting Technology Retail 90

PYMNTS

MARCH 28, 2019

Instant payments — and the ability to push funds immediately across the debit rails to consumer bank accounts — has entered something of a renaissance. The demand is there: According to the latest edition of the PYMNTS Disbursements Tracker , 75 percent of consumers expressed a preference for faster payments, and 84 percent of those consumers reported debit cards as their preferred way of receiving those funds.

Securities 87

Securities Accounting Banking Retail 87

PYMNTS

MARCH 14, 2019

Sephora, the beauty retailer, announced on Thursday (March 14) the launch of a new credit card program. The company said in a press release that starting in the spring, it will offer the Sephora credit card, Sephora Visa® credit card and Sephora Visa Signature® credit card to its retail customers. The credit cards will provide customers with more ways to earn rewards for their purchases, the retailer said in the release.

Retail 86

Retail Marketing 86

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

MARCH 1, 2019

Facebook , Telegram and Signal are looking to launch their own cryptocurrencies that will allow users to send money internationally on their messaging systems. Citing various sources with knowledge on the matter, The New York Time s reported that Facebook is currently working on a coin that users of its WhatsApp could instantly send to friends and family.

Currencies 85

Currencies Auditing Securities Technology 85

PYMNTS

MARCH 7, 2019

Lawmakers in Philadelphia have passed a ban on cashless stores, making it the first major city in the U.S. to do so, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. The new law will take effect in July and would require most retail outlets to accept physical currency. New Jersey recently passed a similar law and New York City is on the path to doing so as well.

Currencies 85

Currencies Retail Accounting Banking 85

PYMNTS

MARCH 19, 2019

Instagram has launched a checkout feature designed to help the social media platform become a more attractive place for consumers to buy retail products, and to capture more sales via what is coming to be known as contextual commerce. The launch of Checkout by Instagram includes participation by PayPal and its retail partnership program , signaling its further expansion into eCommerce payments.

eCommerce 84

eCommerce Retail Sales 84

PYMNTS

MARCH 22, 2019

Singapore-based FinTech startup InstaReM , which enables banks and consumers to send money across borders , announced a partnership with First Data to assist businesses that issue corporate credit cards. The partnership will combine InstaReM’s digital payments and remittance solution with First Data’s debit processing solution for businesses like corporates and FinTech firms that need to issue cards to employees, vendors or consumers.

Currencies 83

Currencies Startups Securities Banking 83

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

MARCH 12, 2019

Digital banking customers of today aren’t looking for the bank with the newest features — they’re looking for the bank that can keep their data safe. Any security mishap can send customers to one of the other digital banking apps that are ready and waiting for them. In the new Digital Banking Tracker , PYMNTS examines the ways digital banking is changing as security measures grow more stringent, and challenger banks look to amass more customers.

Banking 83

Banking Securities Leverage Technology 83

PYMNTS

MARCH 24, 2019

Uber, the ride-hailing startup, is reportedly gearing up to make a $3 billion bid for Careem Networks , the Dubai-based ride-hailing company. According to a report in Reuters , citing sources familiar with the deal, Uber could make the offer during the early part of the week. Uber is offering $1.4 billion in cash and $1.7 billion in convertible notes, which can be converted to Uber shares at a price of $55 per share.

Valuation 82

Valuation Startups Sales Marketing 82

PYMNTS

MARCH 25, 2019

Approximately 20 billion IoT-enabled devices will be connected by 2020. These items are fast, handle an increasingly large amount of personal and financial data and tend to be prone to cybercriminals’ attacks. A large-scale, IoT-based breach has yet to occur, but the seeds are already sprouting. Thus, IoT security is becoming an essential part of modern conversations.

Securities 82

Securities Manufacturing Retail Financial Data 82

PYMNTS

MARCH 12, 2019

Innovation has always been important for community banks, but the driving force of digitization over the last decade has greatly sped up the pace, said Kevin Tweddle, chief innovation officer for the Independent Community Bankers of America ( ICBA ). That push, he noted, hasn’t come from within the financial services industry proper, but primarily from the so-called “GAFA group” of Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple — and the many ways they’ve made doing business simpler and smoother for consume

Banking 82

Banking Startups Securities Technology 82

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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

MARCH 25, 2019

And so a tech giant gets into the credit card game. And not just any tech giant – it’s Apple, the company whose payment services were touted (by at least some) as a credit card killer. News came Monday (March 25) that Apple – specifically, through its payments service Apple Pay – has launched the Apple Card. As reported, the company said users sign up for the card through their iPhone, can get approval through the device and can begin using the card immediately.

Numbers 81

Numbers Technology Retail 81

PYMNTS

MARCH 7, 2019

The gig economy has changed — and is still changing — when we work, how we work and, of course, how we get paid. Readers of this space may recall some stats at the end of last year, where the PYMNTS Gig Economy Index found that as many as one-third of workers in the U.S. have participated in the gig economy — and 85 percent would do more work if they were paid faster.

Startups 80

Startups Accounting Banking Sales 80

PYMNTS

MARCH 6, 2019

Global payments and receivables company Flywire enjoyed strong growth in 2018 that it plans to carry into this coming year and over $10 billion in total payments volume. Some of the company’s achievements last year included raising $100 million in new funding, expanding its presence in Asia-Pacific and EMEA and making significant gains in both regions.

Healthcare 80

Healthcare Education Numbers Banking 80

PYMNTS

MARCH 18, 2019

“Connect the dots” is used as a metaphor for describing how a series of discrete events can explain a “big picture” – often high-impact – action or outcome. Steve Jobs, in his very famous 2005 Stanford commencement address , said connecting the dots was only possible with hindsight, by looking in the rearview window at the series of things that had happened over the course of one’s life to explain the actions of the here and now.

Banking 80

Banking Accounting B2C B2B 80

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

MARCH 7, 2019

Ant Financial Services Group and Jiangsu-based Hoperun Information Technology announced Wednesday (March 7) a new banking product aimed at financial institutions. In a press release , the companies said the new banking product dubbed Distributed Core Banking Platform (DCBP) helps financial firms move their business models to customer-oriented models and away from transaction-oriented models.

Banking 79

Banking Technology Finance Accounting 79

PYMNTS

MARCH 25, 2019

To help meet customer expectations in the digital age, retailers have to know who their shoppers are and what they want. While eTailers already have this information about consumers, brick-and-mortar retailers don’t have this in-depth knowledge. New digital innovations, however, provide the promise of offering valuable customer data to merchants. Smart vending solutions are becoming more popular and offer merchants new opportunities for insights, according to the latest PYMNTS Unattended Retail

Retail 79

Retail Technology eCommerce Numbers 79

PYMNTS

MARCH 7, 2019

Merchants and customers are now transacting under PSD2 and GDPR in the European Union (EU) — regulations that allow a greater window into how customer data is being used. While these regulations are aimed at increasing consumer trust by allowing them more transparency, many consumers in the region are still adjusting. In fact, many still have concerns over data breaches under PSD2, especially when it comes to their relationships with banks, now required to share previously siloed data with third

Securities 79

Securities Advertising Banking Investments 79

PYMNTS

MARCH 25, 2019

Most of the payments chatter last week focused on FIS’ mega acquisition of Worldpay. The topic of conversation was the inevitable consolidation of the payments sector, as scale becomes critical to optimizing the payments experience and innovating new payments flows. Another piece of Worldpay news broke last week that has as much potential to innovate new payments flows and shape the direction of commerce in the decade of the 20s, now only nine months away.

Retail 79

Retail Healthcare eCommerce Marketing 79

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