Sat.Mar 30, 2019 - Fri.Apr 05, 2019

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Cross-Border Payment Efforts Look To The Blockchain And Beyond

PYMNTS

It may seem that cross-border payments were in the … well … crosshairs this past week, with a number of country-by-country and company-by-company initiatives using blockchain and other methods to speed payments and lower fees. In Myanmar, Shwe Rural & Urban Development Bank has partnered with Krung Thai Bank, which is state-owned, to debut a cross-border transfer money offering that is in turn tied to the Ethereum blockchain.

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Exotic Indexes: Built to Sell or Built to Last?

CFA Institute

There are now more than 70 times as many indexes as there are stocks. What does that mean for investors?

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How Card-On-File Is Changing Online Consumer Shopping

PYMNTS

When it comes to online shopping, one of the greatest frustrations for consumers — and friction points for merchants — is having to manually enter credit or debit card information for each purchase. It’s no wonder that 78.9 percent of consumers today have account information stored online with at least one or more companies or service providers. In the latest Mobile Card Services Playbook , a collaboration with Ondot , PYMNTS surveyed more than 9,500 U.S. consumers to get a better understanding

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Wells Fargo Launches Contactless Credit, Debit Cards

PYMNTS

Wells Fargo announced Tuesday (April 2) the launch of contactless consumer credit and debit cards. In a press release , Wells Fargo said the new cards will enable customers to complete transactions quickly and with a single tap at millions of merchants and transit systems that accept contactless payments. The bank said it will enable customers to tap to initiate an ATM transaction at more than 13,000 ATMs around the country later this year.

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Automation, Evolved: Your New Playbook For Smarter Knowledge Work

Speaker: Frank Taliano

Document-heavy workflows slow down productivity, bury institutional knowledge, and drain resources. But with the right AI implementation, these inefficiencies become opportunities for transformation. So how do you identify where to start and how to succeed? Learn how to develop a clear, practical roadmap for leveraging AI to streamline processes, automate knowledge work, and unlock real operational gains.

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How Gig Work In The US Became A Career

PYMNTS

With U.S. gig workers accounting for more than $1.4 trillion in income by the end of 2018, it’s safe to say the gig economy is becoming a mainstream part of the global economy. From ridesharing drivers to freelance designers and consultants, an increasing share of gig workers are pursuing specialized jobs, often juggling multiple at once. In fact, the share of those in the gig economy with highly specialized skills rose to 32.3 percent in Q4 2018 — a 12.2 percent increase over the previous quart

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PayPal Invests In Blockchain Startup Aimed At Digital Identity Control

PYMNTS

PayPal has invested in a blockchain company for the first time — one that’s focused on using the technology to help give users greater control over their digital identities, according to reports. The company is called Cambridge Blockchain, and PayPal participated in a Series A funding round. The company has raised $3.5 million in equity from several different investors, which follows a previous $7 million, bringing the total to over $10 million raised so far.

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FBI Gears Up To Fight Cybercriminals

PYMNTS

The FBI has announced a directive shift away from counterterrorism and toward fighting the increasing threats from cyber attacks, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. The move comes amid an ecosystem of attacks from foreign countries, like Russia and its election meddling and China’s cyber attacks against U.S. businesses. The Navy also recently reported that it was under siege by Chinese cyber attacks, and FBI Director Christopher Wray said all 56 bureau field offices have open inve

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Dozens Of Cybercrime Groups Found On Facebook

PYMNTS

Dozens of cybercriminal groups have found a home on Facebook , using the platform’s online marketplace to sell illegal services such as stolen credit card information, as well as account theft and spamming tools, according to Cisco Systems’ Talos security unit. “Over the past several months, Cisco Talos has tracked several groups on Facebook where shady (at best) and illegal (at worst) activities frequently take place.

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SWIFT, Ripple Support EU Blockchain Group Launch

PYMNTS

A new blockchain association has been created to promote the adoption of the technology across the European Union. The group — the International Association of Trusted Blockchain Applications ( INATBA ) — officially launched on April 3 in Brussels and includes SWIFT, IBM, Ripple and around 100 other companies and organizations. As a European Commission initiative, INATBA is a “global multi-stakeholder forum” created to bring “industry, startups and SMEs, policy makers, international organization

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Data Talks, CFOs Listen: Why Analytics Is The Key To Better Spend Management

Speaker: Claire Grosjean

Finance teams are drowning in data—but is it actually helping them spend smarter? Without the right approach, excess spending, inefficiencies, and missed opportunities continue to drain profitability. While analytics offers powerful insights, financial intelligence requires more than just numbers—it takes the right blend of automation, strategy, and human expertise.

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Want To Play A Part In Cannabis Payments? Start Your Homework Now

PYMNTS

Blunt question for PYMNTS readers (pun intended): Have you been inside a pot shop lately? One of the legal operations that are springing up in the states that have approved the above-board sale of marijuana products? Or do your views of marijuana retail still center around high school bathrooms, back alleys or sketchy dudes at heavy metal concerts? We don’t mean to be aggressive, nor do we take a stance on the moral or political natures of legal weed.

Retail 74
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Denmark Bans €500 Note To Stymie Money Laundering

PYMNTS

Denmark has decided to ban 500-euro notes in an attempt to fight money laundering in the country. The decision was made despite a request by the European Central Bank ( ECB ) not to ban the note. But Danish authorities says that the bills’ use for criminal activities justifies the ban, adding that the ECB even decided to stop printing the notes in 2016 under the recommendation of the global anti-laundering organization Financial Action Task Force.

Banking 73
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Luxury Brands Work With Chinese eCommerce Sites, Shun Amazon

PYMNTS

Luxury brands are selling more and more on Chinese eCommerce sites like JD.com and Alibaba, while still keeping their distance from Amazon, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. French multinational luxury goods conglomerate LVMH ’s finance chief made his views on Amazon clear in 2016 when he said “the existing business of Amazon doesn’t fit with luxury, full stop.

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Deep Dive: Gig Economy Onboarding And The Push For Faster Payments

PYMNTS

Digital solutions have made their way into the gig economy, with more workers than ever utilizing digital marketplaces that pair companies with talent from around the world. These days, however, gig jobs don’t just encompass rideshare drivers, home renters or handymen on popular platforms like Uber, Airbnb or TaskRabbit. Gig work is now available in nearly every industry, and it is beginning to disrupt traditional ideas regarding career paths and earnings. .

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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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Mastercard Launches AP Partnership With Bill.com

PYMNTS

Business payments company Bill.com has secured unicorn status and launched a partnership with Mastercard to accelerate accounts payable for joint business customers. In a press release on Tuesday (April 2), Bill.com announced new funding to the tune of $88 million led by Franklin Templeton, while Mastercard, Fidelity Investments Canada ULC and others also participated.

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The Uber-ization Impact Of Supply Chain Finance

PYMNTS

FinTech has revolutionized the way traditional banks can implement and roll out new products and services to their customers, with banks’ complex infrastructures positioning “out-of-the-box” solutions as a competitive proposition for FinTech firms to offer their bank clients. Yet, not all financial services can — or should — be a one-size-fits-all tool.

Finance 73
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Bento For Business Taps Visa For Small Business Cash Flow

PYMNTS

Small and medium-sized business spend management firm Bento for Business is teaming up with Visa to enhance cash flow management for SMB customers. In a press release on Thursday (April 4), Bento announced its collaboration with Visa to integrate Visa’s business debit card into the Bento for Business platform. Current holders of Visa business debit cards will be given access to Bento’s financial solutions, including expense and spend management, budgeting and bookkeeping functionalit

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Global Demand Grows For Instant Payments

PYMNTS

Woody Allen once supposedly said 80 percent of success is just showing up. Beyond that, in business and in life, showing up on time counts for a lot, too. So it is with payments, where speed counts. The movement toward faster payments and peer to peer (P2P) is, well, quickening. As the Faster Payments Tracker shows, the clamor for speedier payments spans the globe.

Numbers 72
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Forecasting Failures Are Costly: Heres 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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Why Me-Too Services Can’t Save Apple

PYMNTS

Three years ago, I wrote a piece in which I said Apple had become the kind of company that Steve Jobs once said he never wanted it to be: one that follows the lead of others. Jobs felt so strongly that he said he’d rather gamble Apple’s future instead of trying to one-up everyone else after the fact. Today, Apple seems to be gambling its future by doing just that: being like someone else, often years after others have led the way.

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Virtual Reality: 5G Retailers’ Secret Sauce?

PYMNTS

Out of the haze of uncertainty emerged a new mobile network, and from the new mobile network came new retail applications and experiences, all taking advantage of the faster speed of the technology, and the potential to reduce friction. So goes the imagined story of 5G , even though the narrative has barely progressed beyond the prologue. The mobile technology is moving from the realm of the possible to the world of the real.

Retail 71
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How FinTechs Start With The End In Mind For Payments

PYMNTS

FinTech firms are creating offerings to make it easier for retailers to handle their payments on the back end. Modo , for example, designed its new /Checkout product with “the end in mind,” Brian Billingsley, the company’s chief revenue officer, told PYMNTS in an interview. He explained that much of the industry is focused on creating beautiful experiences on the front end, but funds still have to flow back to the merchant and be reconciled at the end of the day.

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B2B FinTech Tackles The Nuanced Challenges Of Marijuana — Beyond Banking

PYMNTS

The legal cannabis market continues to reach new milestones, the latest being the launch of the industry’s first commodity trading desk — with the latest service provider highlighting the opportunity in addressing the more nuanced challenges of an unfamiliar, emerging market. Marijuana company Grupo Flor has rolled out its commodity trading desk to connect industry buyers and sellers, and facilitate the trade of raw materials, including the THC flower, THC trim, crude and distillate THC an

B2B 70
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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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Retail, RFID And Real-Time Sales

PYMNTS

Probably every shopper knows the thrill of the retail treasure hunt — that odd, unexpected, but perfect product discovered on a shelf; that highly desired item almost hidden in some corner, but found via serendipity or determined effort. Probably every shopper also knows the frustration of the hunt — the time-consuming, wasted effort to locate a shirt or skirt in a specific color or size; an item that’s supposed to be on the retail floor, according to inventory software, but is nowhere to be fou

Sales 69
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Goldman Sachs To Hire Engineers For Digital Innovation Program

PYMNTS

In an effort to lure talented engineers its way, Goldman Sachs has rolled out a new program in which it will pay engineers to develop new finance apps. According to a report in Reuters , Goldman Sachs is looking to hire engineers to join a digital innovation program. The engineers would receive $100,000 in compensation along with access to Goldman Sachs’ API.

SAP 68
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Why Does The Path To Retail Innovation Go Through So Many Labs?

PYMNTS

It’s not enough to be a retailer these days, not if a merchant intends to survive in a world of commerce dominated by the likes of Amazon and other tech-focused competitors. Innovation is one of the keys to advancement — and that increasingly means opening tech hubs, incubators and other such operations. Those efforts have certainly led to significant advances in product and revenue, and the enablement of what’s come to be called the “consumer experience.

Retail 68
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How Friendly Friction Builds Better Banking Experiences

PYMNTS

Consumers’ preferences are undeniably shifting digitally when it comes to banking and financial services. According to a recent study by Citibank , 31 percent of consumers use their mobile banking app more than any other — placing mobile banking behind only social media and weather for most frequented mobile destinations. And by all accounts, this digital migration is driven by consumer preference — according to the same study, 91 percent of mobile banking users prefer accessing their app over

Banking 67
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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.