Sat.Mar 10, 2018 - Fri.Mar 16, 2018

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Amex Files Blockchain Faster Payment Patent

PYMNTS

American Express has reportedly filed a patent related to faster payments and blockchain technology, reports in CoinDesk said. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office released the patent application filed by American Express Travel Related Services Company, the payment technology firm’s travel unit, which outlines the use of blockchain technology to accelerate payments between two parties.

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BofA On Using APIs To Boost B2B Payments

PYMNTS

If some is good, more is better. That seems to be the idea among banks both big and small when it comes to APIs , as several players from around the financial services industry recently increased their investment in APIs, rolling out new solutions aimed at making B2B payments more efficient. . But it isn’t all about efficiency. Several financial institutions are turning to APIs to provide their corporate clients with new products and services that deliver flexibility and put them in control. .

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How Analytics Can Help Fashion Brands And Retailers

PYMNTS

What does it take for a fashion brand to stay on top of the trends? A lot of market data. But not all brands excel at crawling the web for information relevant to their businesses. “A lot of brands are having a hard time keeping up with the pace of consumer changes,” StyleSage ’s Director of Marketing and Digital Strategy Elizabeth Shobert told PYMNTS in an interview.

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Cascade To Power Crypto Card Loading

PYMNTS

This time last year, if a customer asked Cascade about cryptocurrency loading, the startup had to tell them, “We don’t do that.” Its partner banks weren’t supporting the feature, so neither could Cascade. But as more and more people started asking about it, Founder and CEO Spencer Schmerling began to recognize the big opportunity in front of him. That’s why Schmerling said the startup is now launching a crypto loading capability, among other new services and API enhancements.

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From Start to Scale: Driving Growth Through Seamless Payments Implementation

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

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Retailers See A Future For Drones Beyond Delivery

PYMNTS

Ever since 2013, when Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said the eCommerce giant was working on a 30-minute drone delivery program called Prime Air, people have been saying that delivery is the big retail use case for drone technology. Domino’s furthered the point by delivering a pizza by drone in 2016. Regulatory red tape has so far kept either delivery program from becoming a reality, but the technology was there and the value proposition was clear, as retail and logistics companies worldwide struggle to

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BillMo And Walmart Do Money For People Who Don’t Trust Banks

PYMNTS

Moving money across country lines is rarely easy or cheap, and that’s especially true in countries with large un- and under-banked populations, like Mexico. In a country where 60 percent of people choose not to bank due to a cultural mistrust of financial institutions, how can a payments app gain trust and bring value to those citizens by sending money cross-border for $0.99?

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Aggregating The Aggregators: How Ordermark Makes Digital Ordering Work For Restaurants

PYMNTS

Online ordering: the asset that’s a burden, the blessing that’s a curse, the “Can’t live with it, can’t live without it” of restaurant life. There’s a lot to be said both in favor of and against putting one’s menu online, and particularly on third-party aggregation platforms like Grubhub and Uber Eats. Except, not really — not according to Alex Canter, founder of Ordermark.

Sales 56
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Lyft Takes A Page From Netflix, Tests Monthly Subscriptions

PYMNTS

Ride-hailing company Lyft is reportedly testing the availability of monthly subscription plans for customers who use the service a lot. Citing comments Lyft Chief Executive Logan Green made at a press event this week, The Verge reported Lyft could take a page from Netflix and Spotify by bringing a subscription-based model to the transportation market.

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How ‘Mobile-Only’ Audiences Stack Up To ‘Multi-Platform’ Audiences

PYMNTS

While consumers are still using multiple platforms — such as desktop and mobile — “mobile-only” users are on the rise. In fact, “mobile-only” users surpassed 30 percent of users in almost half of the markets studied by comScore in 2017 for its “ Global Digital Future in Focus ” report. “Global digital landscapes continue to evolve in often surprising ways,” Will Hodgman, EVP of International Sales at comScore, said in a press release.

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Less Stress, More Success: Accounting Best Practices & Processes for 2025

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.

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Ripple Wants To Invest In Startups That Can Advance XRP

PYMNTS

Ripple , the blockchain payments company, is gearing up to invest in startups and technology firms that create more uses for its cryptocurrency XRP. In an interview with TechCrunch on the sidelines of Money2020, the payments conference currently being held in Singapore, Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple, said the company is focused on enabling banks to use its blockchain software offering, while also looking to invest in startups that could provide alternative uses for XRP.

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Emerging Restaurant Delivery Services Take Hold In Small Cities

PYMNTS

Those hungry for takeout in many cities can choose from a variety of restaurant delivery services. But that’s not the case for some cities, such as Youngstown, Ohio. The on-demand economy hasn’t yet taken off in Youngstown, according to Grubdom Founder Jay White, who hopes to change that with a website and forthcoming mobile app that will allow local diners to order grub from local restaurants.

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To Improve Treasury Tech, Target The Developers

PYMNTS

The financial services industry’s sudden support for application programming interfaces (APIs) has people talking about the power of data sharing. Certainly regulations like PSD2 and the U.K.’s Open Banking initiative encourage API development and adoption, with industry players acknowledging the technology’s ability to efficiently comply with data sharing rules.

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Aussie Accountants Brace For Industry Disruption

PYMNTS

Australia’s Institute of Public Accountants (IPA) is urging its members to “future-proof” their businesses as the industry heads toward disruption. Reports in Money Management on Thursday (March 15) said the IPA’s Vice President, Sam Zervides, issued a statement encouraging accountants to collaborate and explore value-added services, particularly for small businesses (SMBs).

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Avoiding Lease Accounting Pitfalls in 2025: Lessons Learned from Spreadsheet Errors

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.

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Zara Plans To Bring Augmented Reality To Its Stores

PYMNTS

In an effort to attract millennials, Zara plans to integrate augmented reality into its stores this April. The retailer will bring the technology to 120 of its locations around the world, Reuters reported. With the technology, Zara will be able to show models wearing the latest fashions to customers when they put their mobile devices near a sensor within its brick-and-mortar stores or near certain shop windows.

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Amazon Launches Debit Card In Mexico To Drive eCommerce Adoption

PYMNTS

Amazon, the leading eCommerce player, has made a push into the financial market in Mexico, rolling out a debit card this week for the first time ever. With Mexicans reluctant to shop online, Amazon is hoping to encourage more of it by providing a new way to purchase things. According to a report in Reuters, the debit card — called Amazon Rechargeable — is aimed at providing a new way to shop over the Internet.

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Not All Consumers Are Willing To Use Amazon Key

PYMNTS

While almost 64 percent of Americans trust Amazon , only about 31 percent are willing to use Amazon’s in-home delivery service, InsuranceQuotes.com reported. The willingness of Americans to use the service, which is known as Amazon Key, differs by factors such as gender. While 40 percent of men are willing to use the service, only about 24 percent of women are willing use it.

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The ‘Peril And Promise’ Of Blockchain

PYMNTS

“The important thing to remember here is this is a brand-new, very complicated space,” warned John Oliver on last weekend’s episode of “Last Week Tonight.” “Literally nobody knows how it’s going to develop, so you need to be careful.” Oliver was discussing cryptocurrencies and blockchain on his show, highlighting the massive potential the world of FinTech has touted for the last year or so.

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Back to Basics with Reconciliations

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.

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New Rules For Tech Giants Google, Apple In EU?

PYMNTS

New rules loom in the European Union for tech giants like Apple , Amazon and Google, Reuters reported. The European Commission is at work on a new proposal that aims to shape how online platforms — spanning eCommerce and mobile apps — rank search results. The draft regulation, as quoted by Reuters, targets what might be seen as harmful trading practices and states that “online intermediation services can hold superior bargaining power over their business users, enabling them to behave unilateral

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Today In Data: 55 Percent Of Consumers Shop For Groceries Both Online And Offline

PYMNTS

Today in PYMNTS data, Karen Webster discusses Amazon’s impact on consumers and grocery shopping as a whole. “The gulf between what consumers want and what grocery stores today deliver as consumers move regularly between the online and offline worlds is pretty big,” Webster noted. “On a scale of zero to 100, where zero is, well, zero, and 100 is a perfect score, grocery stores scored a pretty lousy 30, based on consumer responses and a statistical analysis of store features and functionality.”.

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Alibaba Partners With Qupital For SMB Financing

PYMNTS

Alibaba is enhancing its relationship with invoice financing company Qupital , reports in AsiaOne on Thursday (March 15) said. Their partnership means Alibaba small business sellers that are members of the platform’s Gold Supplier program will be linked to invoice financing via Qupital. The initiative follows Alibaba’s earlier investment in the alternative lender last May, marking Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund’s first investment in a Hong Kong company.

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NEW DATA: Smart Tech Makes Street Parking Smarter

PYMNTS

When the parking meter made its grand debut in 1935, it allowed municipalities to collect money in exchange for vehicles to be parked for a set amount of time. Simultaneously, it created the inconveniences of forcing motorists to locate change wedged in between seats to feed the meter, while also keeping track of time to avoid a parking ticket. Thankfully, today’s parking kiosks have moved beyond coin-operated solutions to accept dollar bills, credit and debit cards, mobile wallet and mobile app

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Usage-Based Monetization Musts: A Roadmap for Sustainable Revenue Growth

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

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LL Bean Backs Away From The Blockchain

PYMNTS

L.L. Bean had been testing a data collection project that was attempting to determine the viability of the blockchain ledger for attaching sensors to coats and boots. The tests were scheduled to begin earlier this year and involved asking consumers to wear garments that would send information back to the Ethereum blockchain platform, which would have given L.L.

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Supply Chain, Linked and Billed Via Blockchain

PYMNTS

Even at its smoothest, supply chain management is never the easiest of endeavors. Transparency is key, but often is lacking – in part because of far-flung parties, which include both sides of a transaction (buyer and seller, of course) that may be operating across time zones, languages and currencies. Frequently, there are intermediaries involved with financing.

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Why Fluidity Is The Future Of Voice AI

PYMNTS

While often painted as hesitant to jump on board with the next big technological advance, banks of all sizes are more than ready to get going with voice-activated AI, says FIS Mobile SVP and group executive Doug Brown. “The demand we are seeing is overwhelming from our banking partners,” Brown told Karen Webster in a recent conversation. “Banks from the biggest player on Wall Street right on down to community banks are absolutely ready for this change and want to get in on the ground floor.

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What The $1B Kiosk Industry Can Do For Hotels And Restaurants

PYMNTS

Kiosks aren’t just for selling tickets or providing customers with another way to order a meal. They can personalize the guest experience too. “Our take on it is that we’re all different,” Bite CPO Steven Truong has said. “Our recognition and learning algorithm allows us to give each guest a different experience — and cater to their personal needs.”.

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Solve Your Firm's Automation Complexities Once and For All

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.