Sat.Nov 14, 2020 - Fri.Nov 20, 2020

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Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos Invests In Chipper Cash In Latest African FinTech VC Deal

PYMNTS

African FinTech Chipper Cash has landed a whale of an investor. Chipper CEO Ham Serunjogi confirmed on Twitter the startup, which got its initial foothold in the market as a peer-to-peer (P2P) payments service, has just wrapped up a $30 million Series B round of venture capital. And among the investors was none other than multibillionaire Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, who participated through Bezos Expeditions, his personal venture capital fund.

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The State of Planning in Dynamic Times

Jedox Finance

In this blog we take a closer look at the recently published BARC study “Sound Decisions in Dynamic Times.” What findings and insights can be derived for organizations and is it worthwhile to read it yourself? Let’s find out: Is your organization agile and resilient? In the current times of crisis, these buzzwords common in FP&A and planning turn out to be very important characteristics for companies and it becomes clear how well positioned they actually are.

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APAC trade pact could bring annual boost of US$90 billion

Future CFO

Trade in Asia Pacific could increase by US$90 billion annually due to reduced export costs brought by the Regional Comprehensive Economic partnership (RCEP) signed by 15 countries on Sunday, said Euler Hermes recently. Encompassing the ten ASEAN countries, Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea, the RCEP will cover around 30% of world GDP and population, making it the largest trade deal by these measures.

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Maybe Analyst Recommendations Do Add Value

CFA Institute

Following analyst buy or sell recommendations isn’t going to lead to outperformance. Or is it?

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From Curiosity to Competitive Edge: How Mid-Market CEOs Are Using AI to Scale Smarter

Speaker: Lee Andrews, Founder at LJA New Media & Tony Karrer, Founder and CTO at Aggregage

This session will walk you through how one CEO used generative AI, workflow automation, and sales personalization to transform an entire security company—then built the Zero to Strategy framework that other mid-market leaders are now using to unlock 3.5x ROI. As a business executive, you’ll learn how to assess AI opportunities in your business, drive adoption across teams, and overcome internal resource constraints—without hiring a single data scientist.

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Brazil Upgrades Real Time Payments Rails, Goes Live With PIX

PYMNTS

Real-time payments continue to gain traction around the world. Case in point: Brazil. The country’s banking system is giving an upgrade to its instant payments system. Called PIX , the new payment rails have been in the works for some time and launched last week. It will be fully operational starting Monday (Nov. 16) and has already processed 10 million transactions a day.

Nonprofit 131

More Trending

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Mastercard Embraces Existing Rails To Drive B2B Payments Value

PYMNTS

When it comes to global B2B procurement, nothing is simple. For example, suppose a huge global consumer packaged goods (CPG) conglomerate wants to introduce a new shampoo. To do so it needs new supplies of palm oil, and a new supplier in Indonesia has the right quantity and the right environmental profile. Said CPG company would need to onboard the new supplier, which in the past could be a 90-day process full of you’re your customers (KYC) regulations and other laborious processes.

B2B 128
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Partners Against Crime: Visa Leads Effort To Fight Fraud With New Dynamic CVV Codes

PYMNTS

The rising trend of digitization in commerce and the increased occurrence of card-not-present fraud were not created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, it would be more accurate to note that those macro trend lines were both already on the move quite notably, and then the coronavirus came along and rapidly intensified the situation. That’s one of the takeaways from a recent PYMNTS panel discussion with Visa ’s Director of Global Chip Product Tom Rapkoch , Keyno CEO Robert Steinman and Assistant

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Wells Fargo Debuts Digital Supplier Payment Tool

PYMNTS

Wells Fargo is beefing up its digital payments arsenal with a new service aimed at business customers. The financial services giant on Thursday (Nov. 19) announced in a press release that it is adding a new solution to its WellsOne Virtual Commercial Card , enabling business customers to digitally pay invoices to suppliers and others. To use the tool, customers electronically send payment instructions, which are routed to the WellsOne Virtual Card Payments service, the release stated.

Invoicing 124
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Bringing Order To Chaos: Open Banking Meets Healthcare Payments

PYMNTS

In the accelerated, digital-first world, few things are more complicated than healthcare payments. In fact, even a medical school degree isn’t enough to sort out the different payment accounts, billing statements and various insurance plans. However, chaos invites someone or something than can bring order, and i2c wants to contribute to that effort.

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The 2025 State of Financial Automation

Financial automation isn’t the future—it’s the now. BILL partnered with SMB Group to survey 750 US financial decision-makers and reveal how small and midsize businesses (SMBs) are using trends and insights to tackle challenges and drive growth. The responses are eye-opening! Download our 2025 State of Financial Automation report to uncover: Key automation trends for 2025 and beyond Top concerns and attitudes about automation How AI is driving smarter, faster decisions The challenges of the finan

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US Consumers Pay Down $10B In Credit Card Debt In Q3

PYMNTS

Americans paid off $10 billion in credit card debt in the third quarter (Q3) of 2020, but borrowed more for car and housing loans, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) citing the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. This follows a record $76 billion drop in Q2 credit card debt, as people used COVID-19 stimulus money and pandemic unemployment to pay down financial obligations.

Numbers 124
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Credit Suisse, Bird Rides In Talks To IPO Via SPACs

PYMNTS

Scooter rental startup Bird is working on a deal with Credit Suisse Group to go public, according to a report from Bloomberg. The company, based in Santa Monica, California, has spoken with some special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) about acquisition deals, although none have reached any agreements, Bloomberg reported, and some SPACs have expressed inbound interest.

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Can Low Credit Card Balances Save Holiday Spending? Don’t Bet On It

PYMNTS

Here’s the scenario. Consumers have cut back on travel, in-person entertainment and restaurant spend. They have paid down their credit cards. Then they will use this newfound spending power to bring a new, vengeful spending strategy to the holiday season because, after all, the American consumer deserves a few gifts after all that they’ve been through this year.

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Bank’s Margins Suffer As US Consumers Pay Down Credit Card Debt

PYMNTS

U.S. consumers have been paying down payments on credit cards with the pandemic continuing to hamper spending opportunities, which has led to dramatically falling bank card loans, The Financial Times (FT) reports. According to the report, the total amount of card loans in U.S. banks was $755 billion, down $100 billion from before the pandemic, while balances have drifted lower in three of the last four weeks.

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8 Pillars of Leadership Development

Great leadership development is the key to sustainable business growth. Are you ready to design an effective program? HR can use Paycor’s framework to: Set achievable goals. Align employee and company needs. Support different learning styles. Empower the next generation of leaders. Invest in your company’s future with a strong leadership development program.

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Bitcoin Daily: Citibank Analyst Says Bitcoin Will Hit $318K; Pakistan SEC Exploring Digital Asset Regulation; Binance Discontinues BGBP Stablecoin

PYMNTS

A Citibank senior analyst predicted that bitcoin could reach $318,000 by December 2021 in a report written for Citibank’s institutional clients, according to CoinDesk. Thomas Fitzpatrick’s report was leaked on Twitter Friday (Nov. 13) by user “ClassicMacro,” who noted in a tweet , “there is no edge in guessing targets so far in time with TA. All we know is that price is likely to continue going up.”.

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Banks Reinforce Protections As Cybercriminals’ Tactics Evolve

PYMNTS

Banks have long worked to anticipate and protect against emerging tactics of cybercriminals. Now, with the pandemic accelerating a move toward digital product acquisition, communication, purchases and money movement, financial institutions (FIs) and their clients need to be even more vigilant. Leslie Ragan manages transaction fraud prevention for Elan Financial Services , a unit of U.S.

Banking 118
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How Alternative Lending Technology Stays Flexible For SMBs

PYMNTS

In the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis, and banks' subsequent pullback from the small- to medium-sized business ( SMB ) lending arena, a slew of alternative lenders emerged onto the scene to fill the credit gap. Over the years, that surge in competition gave way to a more collaborative spirit between traditional financial institutions (FIs) and FinTechs as both sides worked to digitize and modernize SMB financing.

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FTC, Lawmakers Turn Sour On M&A; Could Innovation Suffer?

PYMNTS

M&A DOA? Maybe. In a signal of what might be on the horizon for U.S. corporates, including tech (and beyond Big Tech), Joe Simons , chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), indicated that roadblocks could be set up to stop some of the traditional means of growth and innovation. As PYMNTS reported late last week, the regulator remarked that antitrust enforcers should be on guard against dominant companies buying emerging startups.

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How to Modernize Manufacturing Without Losing Control

Speaker: Andrew Skoog, Founder of MachinistX & President of Hexis Representatives

Manufacturing is evolving, and the right technology can empower—not replace—your workforce. Smart automation and AI-driven software are revolutionizing decision-making, optimizing processes, and improving efficiency. But how do you implement these tools with confidence and ensure they complement human expertise rather than override it? Join industry expert Andrew Skoog as he explores how manufacturers can leverage automation to enhance operations, streamline workflows, and make smarter, data-dri

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Citi Partners With Mastercard For Google Pay Plex Accounts

PYMNTS

Citi and Mastercard are teaming up as network partners for the digital checking and savings account Citi Plex on Google Pay, available for both Android and iOS. . Alpesh Chokshi, head of business development, Citi Global Consumer Bank, said in a statement on Wednesday (Nov. 18) that today’s consumers seek money management that is like their own lives — a fast-moving “integrated experience.”.

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JPMorgan Chase’s Dimon Scolds ‘Childish’ Congress For Stalling On Coronavirus Relief

PYMNTS

One of the nation’s most powerful bankers lashed out at Congress on Wednesday (Nov. 18) over the stalled coronavirus relief package, chiding lawmakers for “childish behavior” that has prevented them from brokering a deal. JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon urged federal lawmakers to stop battling over the size of the next pandemic rescue package, despite sizeable dollar differences in the competing plans championed by Democrats and Republicans.

Planning 113
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SellerX Raises $118M In Bid To Buy Up Amazon Sellers

PYMNTS

Venture capital cash has been flowing this year to companies that plan to buy up sellers on Amazon and help them grow. In particular, such deals have targeted companies in the Fulfillment by Amazon program, in which the eCommerce giant warehouses a company’s products and then takes care of packing, shipping and providing customer service. The latest such deal has Berlin-based SellerX landing 100 million euros ($118 million) of financing, reported Tech.eu.

Valuation 112
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PayPal Teams With Gap, DoorDash For Payments, Checkout Solutions

PYMNTS

New entries to PayPal 's enterprise merchant roster include delivery company DoorDash and clothing retailer Gap Inc. , which will now allow customers to use PayPal at checkout, according to a press release. According to the release, PayPal's strategy is working " to create a seamless and simple checkout experience for consumers online by offering customers the flexibility and power to choose how to pay.".

Retail 109
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Protect What Matters: Rethinking Finance Ops In A Digital World

Speaker: Cheryl J. Muldrew-McMurtry

Distributed finance teams are rewriting how the back-office runs, and attackers are taking notes. Disconnected workflows, process blind spots, and rising cyber threats are more than just growing pains—they’re liabilities. The challenge isn’t just going remote. It’s building resilient systems that protect accuracy, control, and speed across every transaction and touchpoint.

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Payments Startup Veem Introduces New Tool For Easy B2B Payments 

PYMNTS

Global payments startup Veem is launching a new business-to-business (B2B) tool to simplify and automate domestic payments, the company announced in a Wednesday (Nov. 18) press release. “Small business owners, financial controllers, and accountants are moving away from paper-based payments and manual processes as the pandemic increases the demand for online payment solutions,” Veem Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Marwan Forzley said in the announcement. .

B2B 109
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Worldpay: Pandemic Has Forced The Issue On B2B Automation

PYMNTS

Compared to their direct-to-consumer (D2C) counterparts, the heavy-lifting, hardworking B2B businesses of the world have always been chided for being a few clicks behind when it comes to embracing and investing in payments technology. And while that will probably remain the case for the foreseeable future, Maria Prados , vice president of global eCommerce at Worldpay , tells PYMNTS that the shift to automated, paperless and secure B2B transactions is on the move.

B2B 108
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COVID-19 Pivot: Boston Restaurateur Turns Idle Space Into Cozy Money Maker

PYMNTS

Like restaurant owners and operators everywhere, restaurateur Chris Campbell of Boston’s Troquet on South has found the past eight months to be full of challenges. He’s increased take-out, retooled delivery and altered his dining room’s seating and layout as a way to adapt to the pandemic’s new requirements. But after watching his private function room sit idle for six months, Campbell figured he had to try something different.

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Deep Dive: How Biometrics Help Telecommunication Companies Fight Onboarding Challenges, SIM Swap Fraud

PYMNTS

Consumers’ ownership of smartphones has become all but ubiquitous in the U.S. More than three-quarters of Americans carry a smartphone , with average users checking their devices 58 times a day. This overwhelming reliance on smartphones has generated record profits for major telecommunications companies, including AT&T , Sprint and Verizon , with the industry generating $610 billion in revenue in 2019.

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The AI Race Isn’t Just About Tech Superiority – Its the Supply Chain, Stupid!

The race to dominate AI is no longer about who has the smartest algorithms — it's about who can build and scale faster. Behind every AI breakthrough lies a battle for resources: data centers, compute hardware, power, and telecom infrastructure. And right now, even tech giants are hitting a wall. Our latest white paper reveals the six critical supply chain elements that are increasingly separating AI leaders from the rest.

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Revolut Brings Open Banking To Germany In Deal With TrueLayer

PYMNTS

Revolut announced Tuesday (Nov. 17) that, in collaboration with TrueLayer, it will expand into Germany. Earlier this year, the European digital bank had taken on Ireland, France and Italy. In a press release, Revolut said the latest expansion would bring open banking to its users in Germany. “With the new feature, German customers can now connect their accounts at Comdirect, Commerzbank, Deutsche Bank, ING-DiBa and Sparkasse with the Revolut app and view all their finances in one place — directl

Banking 105
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Facebook’s WhatsApp Gets Another Shot At P2P In Brazil As Google Shows Interest

PYMNTS

WhatsApp is getting another crack at grabbing a slice of Brazil’s fast-growing payments market. Facebook ’s messaging service will soon get a green light to start providing peer-to-peer (P2P) payment services in Brazil, Roberto Campos Neto , head of the country’s central bank, said at a news conference Monday (Nov. 16), Reuters reported. Campos Neto also noted Brazil’s central bank has talked to other Big Tech firms like Google about their interest in offering instant payments services in the co

Banking 105
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SEC Chair: Flaws In Modern Payments Systems Are Boosting Bitcoin

PYMNTS

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Jay Clayton thinks inefficiencies in traditional payments are boosting favorability for bitcoin, a report from Coindesk says. Clayton, speaking on CNBC, said bitcoin's popularity came from that disappointment in mainstream payments. "What we are seeing is that our current payment mechanisms domestically and internationally have inefficiencies.