Mon.Dec 21, 2020

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Apple Aims At Debuting Car In 2024

PYMNTS

Apple is advancing its self-driving car project, according to a Reuters report, and will look at debuting a new product by 2024 that could also come with new battery technology. Project Titan, the Apple automotive effort, has been working on a self-driving vehicle sporadically since 2014, working from scratch. Apple hasn't always kept up with it, sometimes drawing back to focus more on the software the company is known for, Reuters reported.

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Imagine a World Without Telephones…

Withum

“Zoom is not my thing” was a response to an invite I sent to a friend for a program I organized that I thought he would enjoy. He is not the only person I know that doesn’t do Zoom.

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Burger Intelligence: Shake Shack AI Takes Ordering, Customer Experience To The Next Level

PYMNTS

The pandemic has upended how we order meals at restaurants, how we pay and, ultimately, how we eat. These transformational shifts are, in turn, affecting how quick-service restaurants (QSRs) engage customers as the health crisis limits their in-person dining offerings and forces them to fast-track planned digital innovations. New developments from fast-casual behemoth Chipotle Mexican Grill illustrate the increasingly digital nature of QSRs’ operations.

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New Year’s Celebration Comes Early for PPP Borrowers?

Withum

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Planning Your Restaurants Path to Profitability

Speaker: James Kahler, COO of Full Course

Ever wondered where to splurge and where to safely conserve when it comes to operating and growing your restaurant? 🤔 Join James Kahler, COO of Full Course and industry visionary, in this new webinar where he'll talk all about best practices to invest in your restaurant's success! Whether you're a new business or an established restaurant, a seasoned pro or a rookie, you'll learn the keys to sustainable success in this competitive industry.

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NY Fed: Credit Applications, Acceptances Plunge During Pandemic

PYMNTS

A new survey has revealed the steep plummet the consumer credit market took as the pandemic began, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Center for Microeconomic Data released results on Monday (Dec. 21) from its latest Survey of Consumer Expectations (SCE) Credit Access Survey , which showed most credit applications and acceptance rates falling sharply after February this year.

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How to Develop a Fraud Investigation Policy

FraudFiles

An investigative policy is an important tool to help manage the process of initiating a corporate fraud investigation. Doing so will help bring uniformity to the evaluation of fraud allegations, and it will help guide management through the decision making relative to the claims. The first step in creating an investigative policy is drafting a list of red flags that might cause management to investigate.

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Meet Our Head of NetSuite Accounting Services

AccountingDepartment

We sat with Jennie Hoffman, CPA and Head of our NetSuite Division to hear why more clients are choosing us to manage their NetSuite accounting.

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PayPal's Xoom Adds Real-Time Payments For Remittances To India

PYMNTS

PayPal 's Xoom , an international money transfer service, has integrated with NPIL's/NPCI's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) to offer inter-bank transactions in India, according to a press release. The release stated using Xoom to send money is easier as the overseas senders only need to know a receiver's UPI identity to send the money, which can happen instantly anytime.

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The Capital Table – Insights into the Private Equity and M&A World

Withum

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Rent-A-Center Acquires Acima For Virtual Lease-To-Own Platform

PYMNTS

Rent-A-Center is acquiring Acima Holdings in a $1.65 billion deal to develop a virtual lease-to-own (LTO) platform. Mitch Fadel , chief executive officer at Rent-A-Center, said in a press release on Monday (Dec. 21) that Acima founder Aaron Allred and his team have created a leading virtual LTO solution for retailers and consumers. “We all share a common vision to expand the virtual LTO offering across a broader set of retail partners and to meet the needs of more customers through an integrated

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How Automation is Driving Efficiency Through the Last Mile of Reporting

Speaker: Jamie Eagan

As organizations strive for agility and efficiency, it's imperative for finance leaders to embrace innovative technologies and redefine traditional processes. Join us as we explore the pivotal role of digitalization and automation in reshaping what is commonly referred to as the “last mile of reporting”. We’ll deep-dive into why digitalization is no longer a choice, but a necessity for finance departments to stay competitive in a fast-paced environment touching on: 2024 trends for the Office of

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The Ordeal

RitaKeller

“The only way you motivate people and change them is one-on-one. Everything else is window dressing.” – David Maister. This is the time of year when CPA firm compensation committees meet and determine “the year-end split.” You know what I am talking about. Some call it the Compensation Committee Process. I call it An Ordeal!

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Nike, Ulta Show Loyalty Programs Taking Star Turn As Year Ends

PYMNTS

The pandemic interjected a lot of uncertainty into the world of loyalty and rewards offerings in the last year as consumers' shopping habits realigned and contracted to meet the rarified needs of the moment. Travel offerings and frequent flyer miles, long a mainstay of loyalty offerings, fell out of favor as COVID-19 grounded flights and kept consumers wary of venturing too far from home.

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Self-Insured Health Plans: Checking the Health of your Third-Party Administrator

Withum

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Walmart Introduces Carrier Pickup Service For Customer Returns

PYMNTS

Walmart shoppers can return merchandise bought through the web that is shipped and sold by Walmart.com without having to leave their residences. Shoppers can now set up a time for a return via the retailer's new Carrier Pickup by FedEx service, which is complimentary and will remain in place after the holiday season, according to a Monday (Dec. 21) blog post.

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No-Code Technology: The Key to Unlock the Future of Your Business

Global economies are reeling from recent upheavals—pandemic aftershocks, geopolitical conflicts, and a tech sector crunch. Mark Zuckerberg's 2023 "Year of Efficiency" ethos extends into 2024, with leaders seeking cost reductions without stunting growth. No-code technology emerges as a beacon of hope, fostering resilience and adaptability. Platforms like Make.com and Zapier empower even non-technical staff to automate and innovate, freeing IT for strategic tasks.

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$900 Billion Stimulus Bill Agreed in Congress

KROST

Congress reached an agreement late on Sunday, December 20 th , for a $900 billion stimulus package. The Bill is expected to pass the House and Senate and be signed into law by December 23 rd. While the full text of the Bill has not been released, below are the highlights of how the money has been allocated. When the final text is released, we will update this article.

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Report: JCB Developing Blockchain B2B Payment Product

PYMNTS

JCB , a Japanese card provider, is developing a blockchain B2B payment offering specifically for netting trades between two parties. JCB is teaming with LayerX , a local company, on the offering, Ledger Insights reported. Most companies have a one-way partner relationship, but firms that have two-way trade encompass commodity traders, investment companies and maybe the big Japanese firms.

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Bolt Nets $75 Million In Funding Round For eCommerce Innovation

PYMNTS

Checkout platform Bolt has closed a funding round with $75 million, capping a year where it processed $1 billion in transactions, according to a report by Venture Beat. Bolt also saw a tenfold increase in the size of its shopper network, along with 250,000 added shoppers to its network per month. The round saw the company's valuation hit over $215 million.

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Is It Time For Apple To Allow Others Access To The iPhone NFC Chip?

PYMNTS

You can see it in the quarterly earnings reports this year of just about every publicly traded company and among the list of companies that have either gone public one way or the other or have filed S-1s because they plan to do so soon. You can see it in how investors are putting money to work in both consumer-facing and B2B startups, and how startups and incumbents are forging new partnerships to move innovation faster to market.

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Register Now: Sneak Peek Into Close Automation SkyStem Web Demo

Technology is rapidly changing the way accountants perform and manage month-end activities. Spreadsheets, email, and shared drives no longer have to slow us down. Join us as we present a "sneak peek" recorded demo of SkyStem's month-end close solution – ART. In under four weeks, your team can start reaping the benefits of month-end close automation by vastly reducing spreadsheets, cut down on reconciliation work, speed up the month-end close, and better manage your remote team.

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Peloton Buys Fitness Equipment Maker Precor In $420 Million Deal

PYMNTS

Interactive fitness platform Peloton has inked a deal to acquire Precor , a global fitness equipment provider with a manufacturing presence in the U.S., according to a press release. The deal is worth $420 million and is expected to close in the early part of 2021. With the acquisition, Precor will operate as a business unit within Peloton's umbrella, with President Rob Barker taking on the title of Precor CEO and general manager of Peloton Commercial, reporting to Peloton President William Lync

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Russian Regulator Alleges Booking.com Broke Anti-Monopoly Law

PYMNTS

Russia's federal anti-monopoly service (FAS) has accused Booking.com of reportedly violating antitrust laws in the country and abusing a dominant market position, according to Reuters Monday (Dec. 21). FAS opened an investigation into Booking's move asking hotels and hostels to offer the same prices on their own sites and rival booking sites as they did on Booking.com.

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Target, Walmart Adjust Holiday Delivery Processes As Shipping Crisis Peaks

PYMNTS

Ten million packages. Gridlocked. These are some of the numbers and terms being used to describe the state of holiday shipping as the last week of the holiday shopping season plays out. The issues with getting the digital-first economy to become the deliver-first economy have led big retail names like Target, Walmart and eBay to make last-minute adjustments to their delivery processes, and will most likely lead to frustration with consumers who expected their gifts to arrive on time.

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Deep Dive: Why Merchants Must Rethink Their Promotion Abuse Protections During The Pandemic

PYMNTS

Fraud instances have risen dramatically since the pandemic began, placing financial strains on consumers and merchants alike. One recent report that surveyed consumers from the U.K., U.S. and five other nations identified 100 million potentially fraudulent transactions between March 11 and April 28, for example. Other research points to the increase in scams related to COVID-19, with the U.S.

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Recruit and Retain New Blue-Collar Talent

Blue-collar jobs have a branding problem. One company, GEON, partnered with Paycor to find the solution. Learn how to attract, engage, and retain blue-collar employees, helping them build meaningful careers – and support your company’s goals.

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Bitcoin Daily: Former BitGrail Head Faces Fraud Charges; Exmo Reports Cyberattack; VBT Bank Offers Blockchain-Backed Bank Guarantees

PYMNTS

Italian police charged the former head of cryptocurrency exchange BitGrail, identified by the initials of “F.F.,” with money laundering, fraudulent banking and computer fraud, Reuters reported. “It is the biggest cyber-financial attack in Italy and one of the biggest in the world,” the police said in a statement. They allege that F.F. was involved in several hacks on the exchange that stole more than 120 million euros ($146 million) worth of the cryptocoin Nano, affecting over 230,000 people.

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eCommerce Delivery And Shopping In The Pandemic Era

PYMNTS

Nordstrom is rolling out a same-day gift delivery service in New York City that will be available for orders placed by late afternoon. Meanwhile, Walmart and Amazon are jousting to the end in an effort to win holiday shoppers’ last-minute orders and get them delivered for Christmas. And in restaurant innovation, eateries have had to evolve their business strategies to lower overhead costs and cater to diners’ demands for digital services.

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Serent Capital Starts New Fund; Bullish On B2B Payments Category

PYMNTS

Like many venture capital companies in the payments space, Serent Capital has had a busy year. It has closed several new deals with high-growth early-stage firms in several industries, ending the year with two major announcements. The first was the investment in early December of procure-to-pay healthcare payments company Procurement Partners. That was followed on Dec. 15 with the announcement of the launch of its fourth fund, Serent Capital IV — at $750 million.

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Freightos.com Grows B2B Platform For eCommerce Logistics

PYMNTS

In a move planned to simplify B2B eCommerce, Hong Kong-based Freightos.com has grown its online B2B digital infrastructure. The technology lets firms in the B2B space make an order, see freight choices and fees, and handle the shipment’s status in a similar way to people ordering on platforms such as Amazon.com, American Shipper reported. The company’s move is the newest effort to bring the technologies that have been around in the business-to-consumer (B2C) fulfillment sphere for a while to int

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Join the Instant Payment Revolution: Read 7 Must-Know Facts for Small Businesses

Technology evolves at lightning speed, and as finance keeps changing, instant payments emerge as a game-changer for small businesses. By 2030, instant payments are projected to surge by 289% and will become the new norm in financial transactions. Our whitepaper reveals seven must-know facts about instant payments, offering to help you navigate this financial revolution effectively.

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Freelancer.com On Why It Pays To Think Local

PYMNTS

Firms quickly adopted solutions to operate remotely in the wake of the pandemic, and the global health crisis also appears to have changed the ways many of these companies find new talent. More companies are turning to freelancers or independent contractors to complete projects, for example, and professionals are taking on ad hoc work more often. The United States freelance market has grown by 2 million since 2019, according to one study.

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Facebook's Automated Ad Program Hurts SMBs, Merchants Claim

PYMNTS

Advertisers from small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are complaining about Facebook 's automated ad program, saying random and unwarranted account lockouts are damaging their businesses, Bloomberg reported. One digital advertiser quoted by Bloomberg, Chris Raines, said his account suddenly stopped working in the middle of setting up a new advertising campaign, rendering him unable to do his job.

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CardUp Introduces Commercial Card Solution In Asia

PYMNTS

Consumers around the world have become intimately familiar with the “card-not-present” method of payment. Now businesses in Asia have an option to embrace “card not needed” as the pandemic continues to accelerate business models. That option, which extends to commercial cards , is being presented by Singapore-based CardUp. The company’s core business is to enable businesses to access payment or collection of major expenses using credit cards where cards are not accepted, such as to pay rent, tax

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Consumers Can Now Pay With SNAP EBT For H-E-B Curbside, Home Delivery

PYMNTS

Texas-based supermarket chain H-E-B will now let customers pay for groceries for curbside or home delivery using SNAP benefits online or via a mobile phone, according to a press release. Customers looking to use the service have to have an account on heb.com or the My H-E-B app, the release says. There are currently over 230 stores with curbside service and the company plans to add more.

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How CPA Firms Can Profit From Payroll Services Without the Extra Work

"Offer payroll and do it yourself,” they said. “It’ll be fun!” Spoiler alert: It was not fun. Most CPA firms know that they need to offer payroll services to their clients or risk losing them to another firm that will. However, many don’t really want to. It is often time-consuming and complex due to changing tax laws and regulations, and with the growing staffing shortages, most just don’t have the resources.