PYMNTS

NOVEMBER 6, 2018

Before Michael Krakaris co-founded an online fulfillment platform for eCommerce merchants, he learned firsthand how companies could reinvent messy spaces with software. One of his first jobs was working for a company that created an application programming interface (API) to help businesses send text messages to their customers. That business solved a major pain point, he says, as companies used to have to make deals with the wireless carriers themselves to have that capability.

eCommerce 89

eCommerce Math Retail Leverage 89

Creative CFP

NOVEMBER 5, 2018

Gaining operational independence and control through two leading cloud-based systems: Dear Inventory and Xero Accounting Business Type: Manufacturing Industry: Building Materials Size: 40+ employees, 2 locations Region: South Africa Integrations: Dear, Xero Customers Since: June 2018 Website: www.thetilehouse.co.za John Almon established The Tile House in 1988 - a hands-on family run business that sources and supplies high-quality tile products to the South African market.

Financial Systems 52

Financial Systems CFO Manufacturing Accounting 52

CFA Institute

NOVEMBER 5, 2018

Questions about whether financial service providers should design better products and sell them responsibly or consumers should take responsibility for their own purchases through financial education miss the point.

Education 52

Education Economics 52

PYMNTS

NOVEMBER 8, 2018

Months of geopolitical spats that spanned Europe, the Middle East and the United States have seen payments infrastructure at the center of it all. This week SWIFT, the financial messaging service based in Belgium (and where the acronym stands for the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Communications) said that it would suspend access for at least some Iranian banks.

Banking 81

Banking Financial Systems Treasury Communication 81

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

NOVEMBER 7, 2018

Starting a new business is never easy, and new apparel lines are particularly challenging. There are many, many retailers and brands trying to outfit the world, and standing out in the crowd is difficult. But even on the already pitched startup terrain, apparel startup Clandestina, based in Havana, Cuba, had some unique troubles all its own. The brand became the first to launch a website for U.S. sales last month — and it is spinning up to take on its first-ever Christmas season.

Marketing 79

Marketing Startups eCommerce Manufacturing 79

PYMNTS

NOVEMBER 6, 2018

It can be a moment of anxiety, worry and mistrust: that moment when a digital payment is sent into what was once called the ether. Will the funds end up in the right bank account? Will fraudsters hitch a ride? Those and other questions can vex people involved in the transaction — and keep them glued to paper-based payments until the questions can be answered to their satisfaction.

B2B 77

B2B Treasury Accounting Banking 77

PYMNTS

NOVEMBER 8, 2018

PayPal is broadening its small business financing offering into the German market, a press release announced on Wednesday (Nov. 7). PayPal Working Capital will launch in Germany as PayPal Businesskredit, offering small and medium-sized businesses access to working capital financing that is deposited directly into their PayPal accounts. The rollout of its SMB lending offering comes nearly 15 years after PayPal first launched operations in the market, and adds Germany to the list of markets in whi

Finance 77

Finance Accounting Banking Marketing 77

PYMNTS

NOVEMBER 9, 2018

B2B cryptocurrency payments company BitPay announced this week that Rolf Haag is joining the company to lead its business solutions unit. In a press release , BitPay said Haag will spearhead the company’s B2B and mass payments operations. He comes to BitPay after working for both Western Union as its former director of global mass payments, and PayPal as its former head of mass payment global disbursements.

B2B 77

B2B Sales Banking Marketing 77

PYMNTS

NOVEMBER 7, 2018

Blockchain , the crypto wallet provider, plans to have an airdrop worth $125 million, Fortune reported. Through the cryptocurrency giveaway, each recipient would receive around the equivalent of around $25 in Stellar. The company said in a statement, “Accessible to anyone with a Blockchain Wallet, the first batch of recipients will receive their lumens, Stellar’s native digital currency, this week — for free.

Banking 77

Banking Currencies Credit Risk Numbers 77

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

NOVEMBER 9, 2018

Overstock may be best known as an eCommerce business, but these days its CEO and Founder Patrick Byrne is much more interested in talking about the power of cryptocurrency and blockchain, and how it will be the real future of both the firm and the economy in general. Suffice to say, Byrne remains one of blockchain’s bigger boosters. But things in the eCommerce business also showed signs of strength.

eCommerce 77

eCommerce Retail Securities Planning 77

PYMNTS

NOVEMBER 8, 2018

Top U.K. banks and financial technology firms have worked together to create a set of guidelines to improve the relationship between FinTech startups and financial institutions (FIs). The new guidelines, developed by the British Standards Institute (BSI), aim to address issues that interfere with FinTech firms and banks forming alliances. The U.K. banks that put them together includes the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), Barclays, HSBC UK, Lloyds Banking Group and Santander — as well as vendors l

Banking 76

Banking Retail Startups Treasury 76

PYMNTS

NOVEMBER 8, 2018

“Artificial intelligence” (AI) may be a financial industry buzzword, but how many banks actually use it? The truth is that AI is still relatively rare in the banking world, with only 5.5 percent of banks in our survey equipped with genuine AI systems. Meanwhile, the rest are relying on automation and machine learning (ML) technologies. In other words, financial institutions (FIs) that use AI are few and far between, but that’s not to say FIs from aren’t investing in it — or rather in what they t

Banking 76

Banking Budgeting Investments Leverage 76

PYMNTS

NOVEMBER 6, 2018

“May you live in interesting times,” runs an old proverb. For those companies navigating the waves of FX volatility — which means a whole lot of companies, large and small, across verticals — these are interesting times indeed. In an interview with Karen Webster of PYMNTS, Karl Schamotta, who serves as chief market strategist at Cambridge Global Payments, said we’re living in a new age.

Foreign Exchange 76

Foreign Exchange Currencies Invoicing Forecasting 76

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

NOVEMBER 9, 2018

For retailers, the holiday season is both a busy and profitable time, but it’s also when cybercriminals seize the opportunity and target those increased retail revenues. In the latest Omni Security And Authentication Report , PYMNTS explored the different tactics cybercriminals are deploying this holiday season, and how retailers are working to safeguard themselves.

Securities 76

Securities Retail Technology Investments 76

PYMNTS

NOVEMBER 5, 2018

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm,” said Winston Churchill. Might the sentiment extend to cryptocurrencies, but — parsing the quote a bit — replace “success” with “ruination?”. At this writing, bitcoin trades were at $6,352. That’s down precipitously from peaks of more than $19,800, but off lows of roughly $5,500.

Leverage 74

Leverage Investments Banking Marketing 74

PYMNTS

NOVEMBER 8, 2018

Cashierless payments are set to increasingly be part of the convenience store checkout model. To that end, 7-Eleven said earlier this week that is debuting scan-and-go options at 14 of its Dallas-based stores, with the goal of bringing that technology to additional locations through 2019. The Scan & Pay feature exists within the convenience store operator’s eponymous mobile app.

Technology 74

Technology Investments Retail 74

PYMNTS

NOVEMBER 7, 2018

Canada’s St. Francis Xavier University of Nova Scotia (StFX) had to temporarily shut down its entire network due to a crypto-jacking attack. “The malicious software attempted to utilize StFX’s collective computing power in order to create or discover bitcoin for monetary gain. At this time, there is no evidence that any personal information within our network was breached, however, ITS will continue to analyze and monitor for suspicious activity in the days and weeks ahead.

Technology 73

Technology Banking Securities Numbers 73

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

NOVEMBER 9, 2018

With a new commerce deal for the soccer world, Ant Financial’s Alipay has partnered with Europe’s UEFA to bring its platform to events sanctioned by the organization’s men’s national team. Terms of the arrangement, which is said to have a duration of eight years, were not made public, CNBC reported. “I think the future of football as future in principle is in digitalization, and we are in Europe quite far behind concerning that, so we got a proper partner for that, and I

Retail 73

Retail Investments Accounting Banking 73

PYMNTS

NOVEMBER 8, 2018

Square posted results Wednesday (November 7) that showed double-digit gains in gross payment volumes, continued traction amid a base of larger merchants, and notable growth in subscription and software-based revenues. The company’s third quarter adjusted revenues came in at $431 million, up 68 percent, and better than the $414 million consensus. Further adjusted revenues, said the firm, exclude Weebly and Zesty results, up 56 percent.

CFO 72

CFO Finance Retail Marketing 72

PYMNTS

NOVEMBER 5, 2018

Consumers want to touch before they buy, and they want to talk when they purchase. Those promise to stand as two main traits of the 2018 holiday shopping season , and retailers that gain an edge and increase revenue during the all-important fourth quarter will likely have exploited such tactics during this period, at least according to new data that strives to paint a detailed picture of U.S. commerce over the coming two months.

Sales 71

Sales Retail Profit and Loss eCommerce 71

PYMNTS

NOVEMBER 6, 2018

PCI compliance is vitally important for businesses that process credit cards. The standards put forth by the PCI Security Standards Council – the PCI Data Security Standards – offer a framework for ensuring data security, and they must be followed in order to avoid fines and other penalties. Even worse, failure to comply with these standards can increase a company’s risk of suffering a data breach , which can result in substantial legal liabilities and loss of sales, not to mention irrevocable d

Compliance 71

Compliance Securities Numbers Technology 71

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

NOVEMBER 9, 2018

While living paycheck to paycheck is often associated with low-salary or part-time workers, the data tells a different story. As it turns out, the white-knuckled wait for payday is something that affects consumers up and down the economic ladder, something a glance at the PYMNTS Financial Invisibles Report quickly confirms. There’s a fairly large swath of college-educated consumers earning an excess of $60,000 a year who reported that they frequently fall behind on bills, and regularly use plac

SAP 71

SAP Retail Education Numbers 71

PYMNTS

NOVEMBER 8, 2018

In a bid to increase loyalty, merchants are driving innovations in their stores. To that end, some brick-and-mortar retailers have begun to offer rewards programs for the very first time to bring shoppers through their doors. The idea? Retailers are taking new approaches to the way they attract customers. J.Crew , for instance, has a new loyalty program that offers standard perks such as a store credit when customers hit a certain spending threshold.

Retail 71

Retail Business Analytics eCommerce Sales 71

PYMNTS

NOVEMBER 6, 2018

Facebook and Google have signed up for new internet standards, which will require internet companies to respect data privacy and “support the best in humanity.” According to Financial Times , the standards were designed by World Wide Web Founder Tim Berners-Lee, who last week warned that the technology giants are now so dominant that they might need to be broken up.

Technology 71

Technology Planning Securities 71

PYMNTS

NOVEMBER 6, 2018

American Express has struck a new partnership in its latest B2B payments push, announcing a collaboration with commercial payments firm WEX to support corporate use of virtual cards in accounts payable. In an announcement on Monday (Nov. 5), American Express said it will link its corporate customers using American Express business and corporate cards to WEX’s Synaptic accounts payable solution.

Accounts Payable 71

Accounts Payable B2B Invoicing Reconciliations 71

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