November, 2018

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Deliverr Vying To Become ‘Uber’ Of Ground Shipping In eCommerce

PYMNTS

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.

Gaming 89
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Venmo Payment Fraud Led To $40M In Losses

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Venmo , the digital money transfer service owned by PayPal , suffered payments fraud earlier in 2018 that played a role in the company posting losses that were higher than forecasted for the first quarter of this year. The Wall Street Journal , citing internal documents it reviewed, reported that for the first three months of 2018 Venmo had operating losses of around $40 million, which was close to 40 percent bigger than what the company had planned for.

Account 89
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InComm Partners With Welcia To Grow Barcode Payments

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InComm , a global prepaid product and payment technology company, has announced a partnership with Welcia , Japan’s leading pharmacy chain, to launch four mobile barcode payment solutions in its stores. InComm will be integrating its point-of-sale payment technology directly with Welcia. “Simultaneously connecting these major mobile barcode payments with the largest pharmacy chain in Japan is an exciting opportunity for InComm and Welcia’s customers,” Takumaro Arai, vice president and general ma

Sales 84
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Cannabis Cos’ $4.7B In Cash-Based Taxes Overwhelm IRS

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The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is paying $1.7 million to a Virginia company to handle “large cash payments for processing cannabis federal taxes.”. According to Quartz , the U.S. government collected approximately $4.7 billion in taxes last year on nearly $13 billion in revenue from legal cannabis companies. Most of these companies were forced to pay their federal taxes in cash because about 70 percent of all legal cannabis businesses are unbanked.

Tax 83
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How to Build the Ideal HR Team

HR doesn’t exist in a vacuum. This work impacts everyone: from the C-Suite to your newest hire. It also drives results. Learn how to make it all happen in Paycor’s latest guide.

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SWIFT Disconnects From Iran’s Banks

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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.

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Overstock To Sell Retail Biz, Focus On Blockchain

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Overstock is gearing up to sell its retail business, with a deal taking place in the next few months as it focuses solely on its blockchain initiatives. CNBC , citing comments Overstock chief executive Patrick Byrne made in an interview with the Wall Street Journal , reported the sale could happen as early as February. Overstock has previously announced plans to sell the retail business so that it can focus on blockchain technology.

Retail 81

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Mastercard Leads Investment In Mobile FinTech Mobeewave

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Contactless payment company Mobeewave announced the closing of a $16.5 million Series B funding round, led by NewAlpha Asset Management, Mastercard and Forestay Capital. The investment funds will enable the Montreal-based startup to continue to deploy its patented solution in markets around the world, develop new product offerings and expand the company’s head count.

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How Clandestina (Literally) Snuck Into The US Market

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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.

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GoDaddy Highlights Small Business Cybersecurity Paradox

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Earlier this week, reports said two researchers from Bloomsberg University of Pennsylvania made their case for safe harbor rules and overall easing of regulatory penalties for small businesses hit by a cyberattack. Their argument, reports in the Wall Street Journal said, is that small businesses are held to the same standards as large corporates when they suffer a data breach — even if the small business is found to not be at fault.

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Third-Party Data Breaches On The Rise In The U.S.

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Opus, the provider of global compliance and risk management solutions, announced Thursday (Nov. 15) the results of the third annual Ponemon Institute’s “Data Risk in the Third-Party Ecosystem” study, which found that 59 percent of companies surveyed said they have experienced a data breach caused by their vendors or third parties. In a press release announcing the results of the survey of more than 1,000 CISOs and other security and risk professionals across the U.S. and U.K., Opus said th

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Planning Your Restaurant's 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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FLEETCOR May Be Nearing Western Union Business Payments Buy

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Western Union and FLEETCOR are nearing an agreement to sell WU’s business payments operations to the fleet payments firm, according to reports in PE Hub on Wednesday (Nov. 15). Citing three unnamed sources, reports said Citi is advising on the deal, which could fetch $600 million for the B2B payments operations. Though unconfirmed, the deal would not come entirely as a surprise.

B2B 77
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How Open Banking Will Test Banks’ Data Security Strategies

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Whether driven by regulation or market competition, the financial services sector in several jurisdictions is progressing toward open banking, interconnectivity and a freer flow of data between customer accounts and third parties. As such, data security has simultaneously emerged as a renewed focal point for the financial services market, because the more data moves and the more actors touch it, the more exposure that information has to nefarious actors.

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PayPal Working Capital Steps Into Germany

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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

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Bank Of England Plans Panel To Standardize Payments Messaging

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As the U.K. continues its move to adopt the ISO 20022 payments messaging standard, the Bank of England is reportedly planning to create a panel aimed at streamlining the adoption of the standard for more efficient payments in the country. In a press release issued last week, the Bank of England said that it, along with Pay.UK, is inviting interested parties to join its Standard Advisory Panel to help guide adoption of the payments messaging standard across the New Payments Architecture (NPA).

Retail 77
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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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NEW DATA: 14 Ways To Improve Mobile Checkout Conversion

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Smartphones are now more ubiquitous than laptops and desktops. As many as 86 percent of modern consumers own a smartphone, and 23 percent of them shop on their mobiles. Many eTailers are looking to cash in on the smartphone’s ubiquity by optimizing their mobile sites, making it easier for consumers to navigate, find and pay for items. For bottom-performing merchants, mobile checkouts are an even higher priority.

Retail 77
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Robotics Process Automation Rakes In The VC Cash

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In a week of multiple nine-figure venture capital funding rounds, B2B FinTech has proved it plans to end the year on a high note. The star of this week’s roundup is undoubtedly data: Two Robotics Process Automation (RPA) companies focusing on enterprise data analytics and automation landed a combined $565 million, while other high-value rounds were closed in the workspace sharing and asset-based lending markets.

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Nigerian Presidential Hopeful Wants Blockchain And Crypto To Help Economy

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Atiku Abubakar, a 2019 presidential candidate in Nigeria, said he will support cryptocurrency and blockchain if he becomes the country’s next leader, according to the Daily Post. The push is part of his “Get Nigeria Working Again” proposal. Abubakar, who is a former vice president, plans to use cryptocurrency to help speed up the economy in the country.

Ohio 77
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Amex’s Small Business Saturday Bests $100B

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On Nov. 24, holiday consumers and small businesses celebrated the ninth annual Small Business Saturday. The event, created by American Express as an offshoot to Black Friday , brought in an estimated $17.8 billion, according to surveys commissioned by the company. This brings the estimated total spending on the day to $103 billion since 2010, reported Amex.

Sales 77
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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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BitPay Lands Ex-PayPal Talent For Business Solutions Unit

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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
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Bitcoin Daily: Hublot Unveils Bitcoin Watches; Swiss Regulator Throttles Bank Crypto Trading

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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.

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Overstock Talks Up Its Blockchain-Based Future

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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.

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UK Retail Banks Draft FinTech Alliance Guidelines

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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

Retail 76
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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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In The Age Of Algorithms, Will Banks Ever Graduate To True AI?

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Algorithms are taking on more of the data and security work for financial institutions (FIs), with technologies such as data mining and business rules management systems (BRMS) finding popularity among banks and credit unions. However, fewer institutions have made the move to true artificial intelligence (AI), with funding and even misunderstanding about the technology serving as challenges to the wider acceptance of AI.

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NEW REPORT: Buzz Vs Reality — Measuring The AI Gap In Payments And Banking

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“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

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Payment Players Launch U.S. Faster Payments Council To Speed Up Payments

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A group of payment players announced Tuesday (Nov. 13) that they created a new organization, dubbed U.S. Faster Payments Council (FPC), aimed at working toward a ubiquitous payment system that enables Americans to safely and securely pay anyone, anywhere and at any time with near-immediate funds availability. In a press release, the group said the mission, structure and focus of the U.S.

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Walgreens, Humana Mull Partnership Expansion

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Drugstore owner Walgreens Boots Alliance is in preliminary discussions with health insurer Humana about possibly taking equity stakes in each other. The companies already have a partnership that serves seniors from two Walgreens locations. Now, citing sources familiar with the matter, The Wall Street Journal ( WSJ ) reported that Walgreens and Humana are having wide-ranging talks that include expanding that venture.

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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.

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Why The Bank-FinTech Relationship Is More Complicated Than Conflicted

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Pick your metaphor: David vs. Goliath. Knocking the giant off the pedestal. Or, as a recent CNBC article put it, quoting a source, “a mass extinction event.”. The subject? The ongoing struggle, supposedly existential in nature, that pits upstart, relatively young FinTech firms against arrogantly complacent banks for supremacy in this new and growing world of digital payments and commerce.

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Google Cloud Collabs On Enterprise Analytics With ThoughtSpot

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Google Cloud has announced a partnership with artificial intelligence and data analytics firm ThoughtSpot to develop cloud analytics solutions for the enterprise. In a press release issued on Tuesday (Nov. 13), Google Cloud said it has certified ThoughtSpot to operate its in-memory calculation engine, Falcon, on the Google Cloud Platform. The company also revealed additional integrations into the Google Cloud Machine Learning Engine.

B2B 76
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Cargill And Getting More Turkeys On The Blockchain

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Cargill is a big name in turkeys in the United States: when Americans sit down for Thanksgiving dinner later this week, there’s approximately a one-in-four chance they will be digging into a Cargill bird. The Minnesota-based firm is a an old-school kind of company; founded in 1865, it sells a pretty old-school product, as Americans have been eating turkey on Thanksgiving Day since the 1800s.

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Correspondent Banking Continues Its Decline Despite Regulator Efforts

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Amid stricter checks for money laundering, banks are moving away from the international money transfer practice known as correspondent banking. The shift could possibly cause payments to move underground and particularly impact nations that are dependent on remittances, Reuters reported. Even with efforts to stem the decline in correspondent banking, The Financial Stability Board (FSB) noted on Friday (Nov. 16) that the practice still fell in popularity in 2017.

Finance 76
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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.