PYMNTS
JANUARY 9, 2017
Supermarkets aren’t generally the sorts of things that generate massive, dedicated fan bases. Certainly most shopper have a preferred grocery store (or at least one they tend to frequent more often than others) — but in general, it is not something most people talk all that often about since on the whole shopping for groceries doesn’t register all that highly on the excitement meter.
Katz,Sapper&Miller
JANUARY 11, 2017
Katz, Sapper & Miller's Transportation Services Group along with KSM Transport Advisors and Scopelitis, Garvin, Light, Hanson & Feary will host the annual Trucking Owners Business Roundtable on Feb. 7 from 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
PYMNTS
JANUARY 10, 2017
In retail, inventory is what you’ve got and you hope they want. But when it just sits there gathering dust, money isn’t coming in, and space is being wasted. Human judgement — what to offer, where and when, and for how much — drives inventory decisions. But human judgement is, of course, fallible if it does not have the correct information at hand. Technology, as it does so often with every corner of life, can help augment that (retail) judgement.
PYMNTS
JANUARY 9, 2017
The B2B payments space has just grown, thanks to the new presence of PayPool. The U.S. company, founded just last year, made an announcement Friday (Jan. 6) that it has officially begun services with the launch of its bulk payment and distribution service. Companies upload payment information via digital document to the PayPool portal, which then validates that information to ensure compliance.
Speaker: Victor C. Barnes, CPA, MBA
In the climb from contributor to leader, the rules quietly change. But if you’re aiming for the summit, the air gets thinner, and what got you here won’t be enough to get you to the top. 🗻 What made you successful early in your finance career—technical accuracy, sharp analysis, flawless execution—won’t be what carries you to the next level. The higher you go, the more your effectiveness depends on how you connect, adapt, and communicate.
PYMNTS
JANUARY 12, 2017
Covet Fashion, which has more than 500,000 daily users, is aiming to celebrate women and change the way they feel about themselves through an evolution of its game-like styling platform, Style Challenges. In working with Glu Mobile Inc., the two companies announced that 50 new virtual models are now on the platform — ones with more shapes, sizes, heights, skin colors and facial features.
PYMNTS
JANUARY 11, 2017
When it comes to faster payments, we have decidedly achieved liftoff. Faster payments solutions are gaining traction as more companies roll out solutions to help companies distribute funds faster between businesses, institutions and consumers. As 2017 kicks off, new developments in payments technology are expected to shake up the industry. The January Faster Payments Tracker™ showcases several new occurrences that could alter the way companies do business.
Accountant Advocate brings together the best content for small business accounting professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
PYMNTS
JANUARY 10, 2017
Being poor is expensive. Though it seems somewhat counterintuitive, doing just everything costs a bit more when you have less. Consumers who can’t maintain a minimum checking account balance pay monthly fees. Those who are unbanked pay to cash their checks, to get money orders to pay their bills and to buy and use prepaid cards. Low-income consumers are far more likely to find it difficult to secure mainstream credit sources and are thus much more likely to make use of high-cost alternativ
PYMNTS
JANUARY 9, 2017
This past season, as always, the halls were decked and wrapping paper was torn to shreds. Also shredded were the egos of untold gifters and gift-getters who simply got their signals crossed. Sure, it’s the thought that counts, but no one wants to be asked, “What the heck were you thinking?”. Thus, the topic of our latest Topic TBD, where PYMNTS’ Karen Webster sat down with Ben Strenitz, cofounder, COO and CPO of SmartGift, to offer an analysis on what constitutes the ultimate home run when it co
PYMNTS
JANUARY 13, 2017
Amazon has tapped Jamil Ghani, Target’s SVP of strategy and innovation, to head up the Amazon Prime membership business outside of the U.S. According to a Recode report that cited a person briefed on the move, Ghani will report to Amazon VP of Amazon Prime Greg Greeley. The report noted that Ghani was a rising star at Target, coming up with new ways for the retailer to grow in a market that is being disrupted by Amazon.
PYMNTS
JANUARY 13, 2017
The enterprise has struggled to adopt the mobile device in a way that is secure and efficient, especially when it comes to areas of finance like procurement and payments. Last year, a report by TSYS and the NAPCP found that B2B mobile payments continue to lag in terms of adoption rates, citing supplier resistance and a lack of upper-management support to make the shift.
Speaker: Kim Beynon, CPA, CGMA, PMP
The most overlooked, yet most critical, element of transformation is preparing people for change. Automation and AI aren't just technical upgrades, they’re cultural shifts which can challenge identities. That’s why change management isn’t a side project—it’s the foundation. In finance, where precision and process rule, navigating change can feel especially disruptive.
PYMNTS
JANUARY 11, 2017
Global beauty products company Coty is entering into a partnership with online P2P social commerce platform Younique. Coty is slated to put up $600 million in cash for 60 percent ownership of the platform. The partial purchase is seen as the latest consumer products deal for scooping up an online startup, which will allow for a direct-to-consumer element and will circumvent brick-and-mortar shops, such as Sephora and Ulta Beauty.
PYMNTS
JANUARY 10, 2017
Global payment provider Hyperwallet has officially opened an office in London. The San Francisco–based company’s announcement marks its next step in global expansion, specifically focusing on the “gig economy,” as well as new digital marketplaces and on-demand companies. The new London office is led by Aran Brown, who has more than a decade of experience in strategy business development and will steer as the company’s European managing director.
PYMNTS
JANUARY 9, 2017
In this week’s Grocery Tracker, Panasonic shows off its automatic grocery-bagging robot, two new smart fridges come to market and Sprouts sprouts new locations, while Kmart drops a few. First up, Panasonic just debuted a system that could change the grocery checkout game for good. (For stores that plan on keeping checkout around, anyway. Sorry, Amazon Go.).
PYMNTS
JANUARY 10, 2017
Bluefin Payment Systems, the provider of PCI-validated point-to-point encryption (P2PE) solutions for retail, health care and higher education, announced Tuesday (Jan. 10) the issuance of two new patents by the United States Patent & Trademark Office. In a press release, Bluefin Payment Systems said the patents cover the systems and methods for decryption as a service via a message queuing protocol and systems and methods for decryption as a service (DaaS) via configuration of read only dat
Speaker: Mark Gilham, FCCA, CPP
Finance used to be the function that counted, now it's the one that’s counted on. 📊 For accounting firms, controllers, and finance leaders, expectations are rising faster than headcount. Businesses want agile forecasts, granular analysis, seamless reporting, and smart automation—often without added resources while demanding uncompromised accuracy and compliance.
PYMNTS
JANUARY 13, 2017
CSI Kick Start, a FinTech incubator operated by corporate payments company CSI globalVCard, said it has officially kicked off its second year of searching out B2B payments innovators. The company said Thursday (Jan. 12) that the application process for its incubator is now open, with CSI Kick Start looking for companies innovating in the areas of virtual cards, ACH, foreign exchange and other B2B payments issues, like fraud and digitization.
PYMNTS
JANUARY 11, 2017
Investment activity picked up for the first full week of the new year as measured against the last week of December, logging a total of just under $519 million. This time around, the B2B sector led FinTech as the area where the most funds flowed, with about $456 million. As had been seen in the last few weeks of the year, the total amounts invested were dominated by a few outsized deals, with two triple-digit transactions.
PYMNTS
JANUARY 11, 2017
Corporate spend management software company Coupa has made its first takeover since going public last year. The company announced Tuesday (Jan. 10) that it reached a deal to acquire Spend360, a U.K. firm that provides digital data management solutions, including data analytics, using machine learning and artificial intelligence, for corporate finance and procurement teams.
PYMNTS
JANUARY 11, 2017
One of the worst moments in our personal tech world: dropping a smartphone and picking it up only to see a shattered screen. There are, of course, options for getting it fixed: little hole-in-the-wall shops, get a new phone … or log onto a special, on-demand technician, “Uber of X” platform called iCracked. Based in San Francisco, iCracked is a platform that will bring the smart device technician to the consumer.
Advertiser: Paycor
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.
PYMNTS
JANUARY 10, 2017
They say that necessity is the mother of invention. “I came from a poor immigrant background,” said Hanif Joshaghani, cofounder and CEO of Canadian FinTech startup Symend. “Some of the biggest targets for collection agents are those areas, especially people with a lack of knowledge of the impact of credit. It’s something that I saw around me quite a bit when I was a kid, and it’s something that I think can be addressed.
PYMNTS
JANUARY 10, 2017
Ours is an increasingly globalized world, with companies creating and widening supply chains and customer reach into far-flung territories. Along the way, complexity arises, with the very lifeblood of organizations — that would be information — ensnared by the lack of smooth data flow, interpretation and processes. To that end, IntelliChief, which provides document management and workflow management software solutions, said it has now added configurable index panels into its ECM platform, which
PYMNTS
JANUARY 13, 2017
Though small in size, Wellington, New Zealand has grown into quite a hub for successful tech-based startups and social enterprises. In this week’s Hacker Tracker, we travel to what may just be the most southerly startup hub to see how the small city packs a big 20 percent advantage over other tech centers. Before we jump into the post, here are a few quick facts about Wellington and its tech scene: Wellington has an estimated population of 496,000.
PYMNTS
JANUARY 12, 2017
Transmit Security, the programmable authentication company, announced a $40 million self-funded round of financing. In conjunction with the fundraising, the company also announced a new platform aimed at disrupting the $10 billion authentication software market. In a press release , Transmit Security said the technology platform enables companies to get rid of passwords and implement any form of identification verification on any device across all customer-facing channels.
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.
PYMNTS
JANUARY 10, 2017
Money is flowing into the coffers of one startup that is looking to change the way paychecks are paid. TechCrunch reported that Activehours has grabbed $22 million in Series A funding through a round led by Matrix Partners. That follows $4.1 million raised previously in seed financing. TechCrunch likened the startup to an ATM that lets consumers who have worked to accumulate wages pay for “unexpected” transactions, such as car repairs, without the fees that would be levied from traditional sourc
PYMNTS
JANUARY 11, 2017
This week’s Voice Activated Tracker starts off with a bang as new research from Gartner Consulting projects big things for the voice-activated space as part of a larger growth trend across all “supplementary connected devices.”. Analysis from Gartner projects flat growth for worldwide device shipments. The firm predicts that combined shipments of PCs, tablets and mobile phones will total 2.3 billion in 2017, the same as 2016 estimates.
PYMNTS
JANUARY 9, 2017
During a panel at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Paul Misener, Amazon’s vice president of global innovation policy and communications, warned that current state laws governing drone operations would continue to pose problems for developing drone delivery systems. In a panel that included the FAA’s Marke “Hoot” Gibson and Matt Hancock, Britain’s digital minister, Misener said that it would be best to have globally consistent commercial drone regulations, though variatio
PYMNTS
JANUARY 13, 2017
Fraudsters today are going big and going home — with lots of dough. By this, we mean that the traditional attacks on credit cards and bank accounts that the payments industry has come to know are now being overshadowed by bigger, more strategic attacks — ultimately resulting in bigger payoffs. James Chappell, CTO and cofounder of Digital Shadows , joined this week’s Hacker Tracker to shed light on how the latest trend of ATM jackpotting is just the tip of the iceberg for cybercriminals looking t
Speaker: Frank Taliano
Documents are the backbone of enterprise operations, but they are also a common source of inefficiency. From buried insights to manual handoffs, document-based workflows can quietly stall decision-making and drain resources. For large, complex organizations, legacy systems and siloed processes create friction that AI is uniquely positioned to resolve.
PYMNTS
JANUARY 9, 2017
The private equity owner of the Limited almost doubled its investment in the retailer, despite the fact that nearly all of the chain’s 250 stores are expected to be shut down after disappointing third quarter financial numbers last month. On Nov. 28, the Limited brand filed a WARN notice with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, which included a statement that “a mass layoff” — up to 248 employees — will occur and that its headquarters may be closing in New Albany, Ohio.
PYMNTS
JANUARY 11, 2017
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) says it’s time to embrace blockchain and adopt a digital currency for the country, according to a new report. The RBI’s research unit released a whitepaper last week advocating for the adoption of a blockchain-based digital currency after concluding that technology in this area has “matured enough” to be put to use. The RBI’s Institute for Development & Research in Banking Technology also concluded that blockchain and digital currency innovation would be a pro
PYMNTS
JANUARY 9, 2017
Like other corporations in its field, Ricoh made a name for itself over the decades helping corporations manage the mounds of paperwork they produce and manage. For Ricoh, that meant developing printers, copiers and, later, scanners to digitize some of those documents. According to Laura McGowan, director of services marketing at Ricoh Canada, the company has had to pivot its outlook on paper as companies digitize processes like invoicing and accounts receivable.
PYMNTS
JANUARY 9, 2017
The past few years have seen some of the largest changes in the history of small business lending, and that evolution hasn’t been stifled by borders. Across the globe this week, new small business lenders emerged, new data on SME lending rates surfaced and new initiatives to provide small business with access to capital launched — in both the traditional and alternative spheres. $50 million in financing from the British Business Bank landed at Funding Circle , on the condition that the funds be
Speaker: Claire Grosjean, Global Finance & Operations Executive
Finance teams are drowning in data—but is it actually helping them spend smarter? Without the right approach, excess spending, inefficiencies, and missed opportunities continue to drain profitability. While analytics offers powerful insights, financial intelligence requires more than just numbers—it takes the right blend of automation, strategy, and human expertise.
Expert insights. Personalized for you.
91 
Let's personalize your content