September, 2018

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Amazon Now Up And Running In Turkey

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Amazon.com announced Wednesday (September 19) that it launched in Turkey, enabling consumers in the country to shop from millions of products over the internet. In a press release , Amazon said Amazon.com.tr is now live, featuring products in 15 different categories including books, consumer electronics, sports, outdoor, tools and more. “Our mission at Amazon is to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, at great pri

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China, Alibaba Are Big Players On The Blockchain Patent Block

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In tech, innovation is everything. In innovation, intellectual property is, well, almost everything — it can be the hardware, the software, the processes that come from creative endeavor. And patents? Well, consider them a form of competitive advantage. News came recently, when it comes to patents tied to the blockchain landscape, that Thomson Reuters found China, and Alibaba , to have had an outsized showing.

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Western Union Mulls Sale Of B2B Payments Unit

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Western Union is reportedly considering a sale of its business payments operation, unnamed sources told Bloomberg on Wednesday (Sept. 26). The sources said a deal could give Western Union a $500 million boost, and that the institution plans to start discussing a sale with potential buyers in a few weeks. They noted, however, that Western Union has not definitively decided to sell its business payments unit and that its plans remain confidential.

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Why Walmart Says Blockchain Can Improve Food Safety

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Origins are all the rage in modern life: origin stories, family origins via DNA and digital ancestry databases. Add to that Walmart ’s latest effort to gain more grocery market share: using blockchain technology to trace the origin of the food sold by the retailer back to the farms from which it came. The idea is to introduce more transparency into the process, which could serve to prevent outbreaks of foodborne illnesses and encourage consumer trust of the grocery goods on Walmart shelves.

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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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Deep Dive: Fighting Fraud With AI And Machine Learning

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Digital commerce channels are presenting new opportunities for bad actors, making cybercrime a colossal problem for companies of all sizes. All told, U.S. businesses and consumers lost more than $1.4 billion in 300,000-plus reported cyberattacks last year, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Perhaps more troubling, however, is digital fraud’s projected future.

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AR And VR Sizzle At Macy’s And Walmart, Amazon And Danske Bank Fizzle

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Sizzle Of The Week: AR/VR’s Retail Gains. Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) have spent much of 2018 generating buzz as a potential tool for retailers looking to bridge the digital/physical gap and deliver an all-encompassing, omnichannel shopping experience. Retailers and merchants — big and small — have come running to the tech. Some of the luminaries on the field include Target , Walmart, Amazon , eBay , Macy’s, Ikea and Airbnb , all of which have made some type of notabl

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Bitcoin Daily: Ripple Surges, Chinese Billionaire Dumps Blockchain

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Ripple (XRP) has overtaken Ethereum within the last 24 hours, with a 7 percent surge in price for a market valuation of $24.28 billion. According to CCN , this is the third time this year that Ripple has moved past Ethereum, with each time occurring in the second half of September. But with the market cap of Ethereum only slightly below that of Ripple — combined with the weak volume of XRP — it is likely that Ethereum will regain its position as the second-most valuable cryptocurrency soon.

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PNC’s Treasury Unit Joins RippleNet For Cross-Border Payments

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The treasury management unit of PNC Bank is joining RippleNet, the firm said on Wednesday (Sept. 19). PNC Treasury Management joined the Ripple cross-border payments network that uses blockchain to facilitate global transactions. As members of the network, corporate customers of PNC Treasury Management will be able to receive cross-border payments, the FI said, adding that the solution can help them receive payments against their invoices more quickly for streamlined accounts receivable.

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Ripple Heads Up New Crypto Lobbying Group; Pays In XRP

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Ripple , the blockchain startup, is heading up a new cryptocurrency lobbying group called Securing America’s Internet of Value Coalition. Coindesk , citing a Business Standard report late last week, reported the companies behind the lobbying group also include the RippleWorks Foundation ; Coil , a company developing a solution for digital payments; Hard Yaka , an investment firm focusing on digital assets; and PolySign , a company seeking to be a crypto custodian.

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Cognitive/AI Business Spending Expected To See Strong Growth

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Spending on cognitive and artificial intelligence (AI) systems is expected to see continued strong growth as businesses invest in projects in those areas. According to market research firm International Data Corp.’s Semiannual Cognitive Artificial Intelligence Systems Spending Guide , spending on cognitive and AI systems will reach $77.6 billion in 2022, more than three times the $24.0 billion forecast for this year.

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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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Ripple’s XRP Value Spikes While Fundamentals Questioned

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What can you say about a cryptocurrency that shows a meteoric rise, surging more than 80 percent in a day? That maybe … you wished you had some in hand? Beyond that, we’re talking about cryptocurrencies, so the question must be posed, as always, when separating hope from hype: Is it different this time? That means looking into not just “what” happened, but also “why” it happened.

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Who’s Going In The Connected Car Driver’s Seat?

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Before there was Alexa , Bixby , Siri and Google Assistant , there was Emma Nutt. Emma Nutt, born in 1860 in a small town in Maine, was hired by Alexander Graham Bell in 1878 to be the world’s first female telephone switchboard operator. When Bell’s invention — the telephone — was first introduced, phones were sold in pairs, and calls could be made between those two parties only.

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NACHA Approves Expansion Of Same Day ACH

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NACHA — The Electronic Payments Association — announced that its membership has approved three new rules that will expand Same-Day ACH for all financial institutions and their customers. The first rule will allow Same-Day ACH transactions to be submitted to the ACH Network for an additional two hours every business day, while the second boosts the Same-Day ACH per-transaction dollar limit to $100,000, and the third rule increases the speed of funds availability for certain Same-Day ACH and next

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Citi Virtualizes Accounts For Corporate Treasurers

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The latest corporate banking offering by Citi aims to virtualize treasurer accounts for more personalized, streamlined services. The bank said in an announcement Tuesday (Sept. 25) that it is rolling out Citi Virtual Accounts for institutional clients. The tool lets corporate customers segregate balances within their physical accounts into virtual ones, which can offer enhanced receivables, payments and liquidity management.

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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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Amazon Launches API For Alexa Gadgets

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Amazon announced on Tuesday (Sept. 18) the launch of a new API, dubbed Alexa Gadget Toolkit, which is aimed at creating more functions for the Alexa Gadgets. According to Amazon, Alexa Gadgets are accessories that pair to compatible Echo devices via Bluetooth and extend Alexa’s abilities with motors, lights and sound chips, among other things. The toolkit offers developers self-service APIs, including Gadget Interfaces, which provide the metadata of Alexa capabilities on compatible Echo devices.

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Amazon To Launch Storefront That Sells US SMB Products

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Amazon.com Inc. is reportedly gearing up to launch a new store later Monday (September 17) where consumers can shop the U.S. small and medium sized businesses that sell on the platform. According to a report in FoxBusiness.com, the store is being called Amazon Storefronts and gives customers access to a more than one million products from close to 20,000 U.S. businesses.

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Stripe Rolls Out Stripe Terminal To Support In-Store Payments

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Stripe, the payments company, announced on Monday (Sept. 17) the launch of Stripe Terminal, a product that will enable online businesses and platforms to accept in-person payments with Stripe. In a press release, Stripe said Stripe Terminal extends its infrastructure to the physical world, enabling developers to build custom payment experiences for in-person transactions in the same way they have been doing it for online merchants.

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Taxify Beats Uber In Africa

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Taxify , the African ride-hailing app company, is ahead of Uber Technologies, moving from an Estonian startup to a tech unicorn within five years, reported The Wall Street Journal ( WSJ ). According to a report in the paper citing Taxify, the company has 2.4 million active users in six African countries including Uganda, South Africa, Nigeria, Tanzania, Kenya and Ghana.

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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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Anatomy Of A Bank Heist, SWIFT-ly Done By Phishers

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Phishers caught a big one — any way it’s sliced, $81 million is a big haul. The fraudsters who hacked their way into the Bangladesh central bank two years ago got there by getting into software tied to the SWIFT financial platform. The way they got there? By casting a line by email, of course, offering a cautionary tale for anyone who sees a link they are quick to click.

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PwC Finds Blockchain Distrust High, Even As Adoption Accelerates

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The financial services (FinServ) market is, by far, ahead of other industries when it comes to blockchain innovation and adoption, according to data released this year by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Much of that innovation has been focused on corporate finance and payments, as top financial services players have introduced new blockchain solutions in an effort to disrupt and improve corporate payments.

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SAP Ariba Tapped To Digitize LATAM Cosmetics Supply Chain

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SAP has been chosen by cosmetics company Grupo Boticário to digitize its cosmetics supply chain, reports said on Wednesday (Sept. 19). Based in Brazil, Grupo Boticário is a leading manufacturer of cosmetics and perfume. The company has points of sale across 13 countries, according to reports in Retail Times. In an announcement, Grupo Boticário said it has chosen SAP and its SAP Ariba solution to digitize its supply chain and procure-to-pay processes.

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Researcher Says British Airways Hack Due To Skimming Malware

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RiskIQ, the security firm, told outlets on Tuesday (Sept. 11) that the data breach at British Airways was due to credit card skimming installed by malware hackers. According to reports , Yonathan Klijnsma, a threat researcher at RiskIQ, told the outlet that the same group of hackers that breached Ticketmaster may be behind the attack at British Airways, in which more than 380,000 credit cards were compromised.

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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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Switzerland Eases Blockchain Firms’ Access To Corporate Bank Accounts

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Switzerland is reportedly exploring ways to make it easier for blockchain companies to open corporate bank accounts as the government moves to prevent those innovators from leaving the country. Reports in Reuters on Friday (Sept. 21) said the Swiss Bankers Association (SBA) is taking measures to address what the publication described as an “exodus” of blockchain projects from Switzerland.

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Hacker Attack Exploits Security Hole In Token Exchange

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A cyberattack on what’s been described as a “decentralized” token exchange reportedly has led to a $58,000 theft and an illustration of a “shocking security vulnerability.”. According to a report in The Next Web , hackers flooded the exchange with “one billion fake EOS.” EOS refers to “a decentralized operating system [that] is developed to support decentralized applications in commercial scale by providing them [with] all the essential support and features,” as per one common definition.

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Big Banks Notice Rise In Cyberattack Attempts

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Sources have reported that some large U.S. banks have seen a boost in attempted cyberattacks in recent weeks. According to the Wall Street Journal , the news comes at a time when the government is increasing its warnings to financial institutions about bank cybersecurity and possible cyberthreats, asking banks such as Bank of America , Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo to closely monitor traffic from hackers who might be looking for weaknesses in their bank security networks.

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Visa To Update Rules, Services For Dynamic Currency Conversion

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To allow ATM operators and acquirers to use Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) around the world, Visa is growing its Visa/Plus ATM services and updating its rules. The changes will become effective in mid-April of next year, Vending Times reported. Through DCC, which is an optional offering, an acquirer, merchant or ATM operator gives cardholders a choice: They can make a transaction in their home currency or the local currency.

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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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R3’s Marco Polo Releases First Product: Receivables Discounting

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Marco Polo, the blockchain-powered trade finance platform developed by R3 and TradeIX , has launched its first product following the completion of bank partners’ proof of concept. Reports in Global Trade Review said on Wednesday (Sept. 19) that Marco Polo’s receivables discounting solution is now live on the platform. Banks participating in the initiative, including BNP Paribas, Commerzbank, ING and Standard Chartered, can begin piloting the solution next month.

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Square Launches Payroll Services

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Square has announced the launch of the Square Payroll App , a self-serve tool that makes it easier for employers to manage the payroll process. With this new app, employers can go from signup to sending a pay run within minutes, with features including push notifications and automatic payroll. “And the app’s mobile-first design offers an elegant, seamless experience across both the Payroll App and on desktop.

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Stripe Has $20B Valuation Thanks To Latest Fundraising Round

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Stripe, the payments startup, has raised $245 million in a new round of venture funding, giving the company a valuation of $20 billion. According to a report in a tech outlet , citing the payments company, the round of fundraising was led by Tiger Global Management and included new investors DST Global and Sequoia. Existing investors Andreessen Horowitz, Kleiner Perkins, Khosla Ventures, General Catalyst and Thrive Capital also participated in the round.

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Entersekt Names Christian Ali Head Of Canadian Ops

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Entersekt , the push-based authentication and mobile app security company, announced that it has appointed FinTech veteran Christian Ali as its country manager of Canada. The news comes as Entersekt continues its expansion into the United States and Canadian markets. Ali has spent more than 20 years in the payments and digital identity spaces, working as an executive at Dream Payments, SecureKey, and EnStream.

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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.