PYMNTS
AUGUST 31, 2017
Blockchain, the technology that makes cryptocurrency like bitcoin possible, is moving into the auto and ridesharing markets. According to a news report in Reuters , EY, the consulting unit of Ernst & Young Global, announced Wednesday (Aug. 30) it is launching a blockchain system that will let companies and/or individuals share vehicle ownership more easily.
Katz,Sapper&Miller
AUGUST 31, 2017
CMS recently proposed canceling two bundled payment initiatives and scaling back a third. Read how that might affect those in the healthcare space.
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PYMNTS
AUGUST 29, 2017
In supply chain management, globalization, geopolitical forces and increased demand for greater transparency have organizations looking at cutting-edge technology to boost performance and cut risk. Analysts have been discussing some of these technologies for some time. Blockchain, for example, is now a common topic in conversations surrounding supply chain innovation.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 28, 2017
Fitbit announced Monday (Aug. 28) it is enabling Visa payments across its first smartwatch, the Fitbit Ionic. In an announcement , Fitbit and Visa explained payments will be made through the Visa Token Service, which uses a unique digital identifier in lieu of the data that would traditionally span cardholder information, such as account numbers and card expiration dates.
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
AUGUST 31, 2017
With the financial services space shifting from a competitive nature to a collaborative spirit between traditional banks and emerging FinTechs, one major stakeholder in the payments industry has quietly been an integral part of this co-op: the Federal Reserve. With initiatives like the Faster Payments Task Force and the Secure Payments Task Force, the Fed is pushing for innovation and progress in the nation’s payments infrastructure and market.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 29, 2017
Regulators in China are gearing up to issue new rules on digital coin offerings and could move to ban them until the new rules are put in place. According to a news report in Business Insider , citing the Beijing-based financial magazine Caixin , Chinese regulators including the People’s Bank of China and the China Securities Regulatory Commission are currently looking at how best to approach initial coin offerings (ICOs).
Accountant Advocate brings together the best content for small business accounting professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 31, 2017
Retailers trying to bridge the growing gap between the shopping trends of Baby Boomers, Generation Z and every demographic in between may think they have the different generations figured out, but in some cases, operating on assumptions can lead to missed sales. While some well-worn stereotypes of these groups may have truth to them, others are completely off-base, and retailers can’t tailor experiences to shoppers if they don’t know what those shoppers want.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 28, 2017
As the Sinatra tune goes (a bit paraphrased) … New York: If you can make it there in cybersecurity, you can make it anywhere. The financial services industry is girding for the new regulations by the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS), which take effect as of Aug. 28, which is, of course, today. Yes, the rules apply to a single state, but as some sources, including New York Law Journal , report, the regulations could have a global impact.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 31, 2017
Tech giant Apple is embracing WeChat Pay, giving consumers in China more ways to pay for purchases. The WeChat Pay digital payment service is offered by China-based investment holding company Tencent. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal , Apple said in a statement it is “committed to offering customers across our ecosystem a variety of payment options that are simple and convenient.” .
PYMNTS
AUGUST 28, 2017
Just a few short months from the merger announcement , and as of this week, the deal is done : Amazon officially owns Whole Foods. To celebrate the news, grocery prices at Whole Foods are going down — quite an out of the gate change of direction for a brand that has become as synonymous with its moniker “Whole Paycheck” as it has with the organic and locally grown foods in which it specializes.
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
SEPTEMBER 1, 2017
Don’t let the lack of news about mega-grossing venture capital (VC) rounds fool you. This week’s B2B venture capital activity led to an impressive $141.2 million in total funding across nine rounds, with startups ranging from corporate travel and expense (T&E) management and small- and mid-sized business (SMB) accounting to artificial intelligence and beyond.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 29, 2017
Michael Kors, Calvin Klein, Vera Wang and … Amazon ? That could be the list of hot designers creating the latest fashions someday — if Amazon is able to perfect the artificial intelligence (AI) technology on which it’s currently working, that is. Most people are aware Amazon has already launched its own fashion line , but the retailer is working to take the retail category a step further thanks to AI, Mashable reports.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 31, 2017
When the going gets tough, America’s retailers and restaurants get going. Food companies nationwide have poured out assistance to those affected by Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey, feeding emergency workers, donating meals and working overtime to get grocery stores and restaurants open again in the greater Houston area and Southeast Texas.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 31, 2017
Keeping up with the wearables/payments/fitness players is a workout in and of itself. Add Garmin to the mix with a new device, the vivoactive3. Visa said that it is enabling payments on the smartwatch, thus allowing tap and pay functionality, similar to other devices out in the market from the likes of Samsung and Fitbit. In a release Thursday, the company said the device is the first wearable from Garmin that features Garmin Pay.
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
AUGUST 31, 2017
September will be a big month for NACHA’s Same-Day ACH initiative. On Sept. 15, NACHA will roll out phase two of its Same-Day ACH Rule, and small businesses stand to gain significantly from the effort, according to reports at Nav.com. The publication highlighted the upcoming rollout in an article Wednesday (Aug. 30), noting that phase two offers businesses the ability to receive faster ACH debit and credit payments.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 31, 2017
Consumers who track their physical activity with Garmin’s Vívoactive 3 wearable device will be able to pay for items digitally, as a result of a new partnership between the brand and Mastercard. Fitness fans who use the smartwatch can tap the device at almost 6.6 million contactless terminals worldwide, according to a press release issues this morning from Mastercard.
PYMNTS
SEPTEMBER 1, 2017
Orbita CEO Bill Rogers has a relative with dementia. As dementia patients often do, she repeats a lot of the same questions, and it drives her aging husband crazy. But there’s someone who’s happy to answer those questions as many times as she asks, and she never gets impatient. That person’s name? Alexa. Voice-activated technology has a lot of potential in healthcare.
PYMNTS
SEPTEMBER 1, 2017
The cybersecurity industry has some of the brightest minds in technological innovation focused on safeguarding the enterprise. The problem? Some of the brightest minds are also using their talent to create ever-more sophisticated cyberattacks. “Cybersecurity is a constant cat-and-mouse situation,” explained Dominic Chorafakis, principal consultant at cybersecurity firm Akouto Consulting , in a recent interview with PYMNTS.
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
AUGUST 31, 2017
A spambot computer program, which collects email addresses to send out spam messages to consumers, has exposed 711 million email addresses and a number of passwords. NBC News reported that the data breach occurred because spammers neglected to secure their servers, allowing the information to be accessed and downloaded without credentials. The spambot sends out spam messages for everything from weight loss pills to those Nigerian prince emails.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 29, 2017
Consumers in the Asia-Pacific market are quite aware of the range of digital payment options available to them, but they prefer to pay with cash, according to a new study from PayPal reported by CNBC. PayPal’s study, which polled some 4,000 consumers across India, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia, found approximately 57 percent of respondents cited cash as their preferred payment method for daily purchases.
PYMNTS
SEPTEMBER 1, 2017
Amazon is meeting its customers where they are. In the U.K., the eCommerce giant is letting shoppers load up their accounts using cash, and in the U.S., it’s leveraging that new partnership with Whole Foods to make picking up or returning Amazon goods even easier than ever. It’s also poised to deal another blow to the retail market with a new fashion algorithm that caters to consumers’ love for cheap, trendy clothing.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 31, 2017
Everyone has problems, and an awful lot of people are good at solving them. What separates entrepreneurs from the rest, though, is often their desire to solve a problem not just for themselves, but for everyone else who comes up against the same issue. Nick Huzar, CEO and founder of OfferUp , is a clear case-in-point. A little more than six years ago, Huzar was trying to come up with ways to get rid of some basically serviceable, but also unwanted, stuff.
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
AUGUST 30, 2017
Cybersecurity consulting firm Akouto Consulting has a warning for businesses: There has been an increase in instances of malware able to bypass traditional antivirus measures, threatening business bank accounts. An announcement Tuesday (Aug. 29) from Akouto warned of a “sharp” increase in the use of these new strains of malware, with small businesses some of the victims of an attack that can remain undetected despite virus scans.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 28, 2017
eCommerce has become a natural part of life in many parts of the world, but that hasn’t been the case in the Middle East. Most of the region’s eCommerce traffic is coming from a single country: the U.A.E. There are myriad barriers to wider acceptance, and though they’re starting to break down, change will likely come slowly. There are, however, positive trends afoot.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 28, 2017
As the U.S. continues to suffer from the effects of Hurricane Harvey’s path of destruction , many people are wondering how they can help by providing aid to those affected by the storm. The following quick roundup of ways to provide humanitarian assistance can help bridge the gap and assist those in need. 1. Payments Via Text. Several organizations, including the American Red Cross and United Way , are accepting donations via text, which makes donating quick and easy.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 30, 2017
As consumers get busier and more digitally savvy, their need for new tools to help them manage the simpler aspects of life grows as well. Many companies have responded by adding skills to Amazon’s personal assistant device, Alexa , and now eCommerce firm Ocado Technology has joined the fray with its own skill that aims to make grocery shopping simpler.
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
AUGUST 30, 2017
When most people think of beauty there is an almost instant association with the young and the glamorous. Sure there is such a thing as beauty at any age, but our society tends to associate beauty and interest in beauty with the young. Similarly, though for very different reasons, we also tend to associate service on demand with the young, or at least the youngish.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 30, 2017
As Walmart faces a growing number of retail rivals in the Brazilian market, the retailer appears to be playing defense, investing about $316 million in its Brazilian Walmart locations over the next two years to remodel 120 of its stores in the country. Walmart, which is the third-biggest diversified retailer in Brazil, has already launched its remodel program and expects to continue the upgrades in Brazil through 2019, according to news from Reuters.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 30, 2017
Executives at Best Buy are projecting full-year revenue growth to land at 4 percent in 2017, beating a previous estimate, which suggested that growth would only rise by 2.5 percent. However, CEO Hubert Joly warned analysts not to be overly optimistic about the company’s upcoming performance, and the firm advised investors that its recent strong stock performance should not be viewed as a “new normal,” Reuters reports.
PYMNTS
AUGUST 30, 2017
A Nevada homeowner has filed a lawsuit accusing Wells Fargo & Co of improperly forcing thousands of U.S. customers to lock in home interest rates when their mortgage applications were delayed. Reuters reported news that Victor Muniz alleges that he was charged $287.50 for a rate lock extension this year after his mortgage application was hit with bank delays.
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.
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