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In a renewed show of support for blockchain technology , American Express General Manager of Corporate Payments Carlos Carriedo has suggested that its pilot tests with partner Ripple to enable real-time cross-border corporate payments have been a success. Reports in Invest In Blockchain on Tuesday (Dec. 11) said Carriedo spoke at the Wings of Change Europe conference and emphasized American Express’ interest in blockchain technology. “Blockchain is absolutely an option we’re
Dec. 15, 2018 is right around the corner, and any System and Organization Controls 2 (SOC 2) reports covering periods ending after that date are required by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) to incorporate a new SOC 2 framework. So, how will this impact the SOC 2 reports that service providers will deliver moving forward?
Financial institutions are in the midst of becoming more mobile, with many of those legacy operations opting to — or at least considering — working more closely with FinTech providers to upgrade services, retain customers and acquire new ones. The debut of 5G promises to add another tool that can aid such efforts. As that mobile technology get closer to mainstream introduction, the potential 5G ecosystem for FinTech and mobile banking is gaining clarity.
Instacart will have to conquer the grocery-delivery business without the help of Amazon. That’s one take on the news Thursday (Dec. 13) that Instacart has begun the process of winding down deliveries to customers of Amazon-owned Whole Foods. That wasn’t perhaps the most surprising news, given how Amazon keeps taking control of more logistical and delivery operations — an effort that many observers expect will eventually include the eCommerce operator competing head-to-head with UPS and FedEx.
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.
SWIFT announced Wednesday (Dec. 12) that the company’s Chief Executive Officer Gottfried Leibbrandt has informed the board that he plans to leave the company at the end of June. In a press release, SWIFT noted that Leibbrandt has been in his job for seven years and played an important role in ensuring SWIFT remained on sound financial footing, improved upon SWIFT’s risk and security functions and oversaw the overhaul of technology at the company.
With retailers struggling to get compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard , qualified security assessors are going to be in more demand and can offer tokenization as one way of achieving compliance. That’s according to TokenEx , which recently hosted a webinar to help retailers better understand tokenization. In a press release, TokenEx pointed to a new analysis by SecurityScorecard that shows the alarming rate at which retailers aren’t prepared.
One of the largest banks in Spain, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA), has completed a $170 million (€150 million) loan with Porsche Holding using blockchain technology, according to a report. Although the bank has completed blockchain loans before, it’s never done it with a non-Spanish customer, until now. One of the bank’s previous blockchain loans was completed with state-owned and -operated national electrical grid operator Red Eléctrica de España (REE) for $150 million in November.
One of the largest banks in Spain, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA), has completed a $170 million (€150 million) loan with Porsche Holding using blockchain technology, according to a report. Although the bank has completed blockchain loans before, it’s never done it with a non-Spanish customer, until now. One of the bank’s previous blockchain loans was completed with state-owned and -operated national electrical grid operator Red Eléctrica de España (REE) for $150 million in November.
State Farm announced that it is testing out blockchain technology to streamline the subrogation process for auto claims. Subrogation is the last part of the claims process, where an insurance company recovers costs it paid to its customer for damages from the at-fault party. State Farm explained it is working with a partner in the insurance industry to test the blockchain solution against existing processes.
To help low-income consumers get back on their feet, New York-based Propel has notched $12.8 million in Series A funding. Nyca Partners led the round, along with the participation of Kleiner Perkins, Andreessen Horowitz and Omidyar Network, as well as support from Thirty Five Ventures and Alexa von Tobel, the company said in an announcement. “Our investors are world-class experts in their respective fields,” Propel CEO Jimmy Chen said in the announcement. “They share an understanding
Coinone, a South Korean-based platform for cryptocurrency exchange, has released a blockchain-powered remittance app called Cross, according to a report. Cross uses Ripple ’s blockchain network, RippleNet, and doesn’t rely on traditional banking mechanisms. It offers payment services for people who want to send money to Thailand and the Philippines.
UAE Exchange, the United Arab Emirates-based company, and Ripple, the blockchain technology company based in the U.S., are gearing up to launch cross-border remittances to Asia using blockchain technology. According to a report in Reuters , citing UAE Exchange’s group CEO Promoth Manghat, who is also executive director and chief executive at Finablr, with Asia among the biggest recipients of remittances sent around the world in 2017 and with a lot of it coming from workers in the Middle Ea
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.
Walmart and Rakuten announced Tuesday (December 11) the opening of the first Walmart eCommerce store in Japan, dubbed Walmart Rakuten Ichiba Store. According to a press release , the store resides on the Rakuten Ichiba internet shopping mall, offering Japanese consumers access to a wide variety of U.S. products such as apparel, toys, and outdoor items.
Chinese bike-sharing company Mobike is being investigated by German regulators for potentially being in breach of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In a statement to the Financial Times , a spokesman said, “The Berlin commissioner for data protection and freedom of information had already planned to launch an investigation into car- and bike-sharing companies?
While progress is always ongoing in payments and commerce, its path isn’t always straightforward or even. In China, mobile payments adoption has been racing forward, and stateside its progress is notably slower. Brexit negotiations go forward, backward and sideways, such that the eventual endpoint remains hard to forecast. And yet, as technology improves and data is more easily collected and interpreted , progress marches on in payments and commerce as new channels for funds to flow worldwide k
Bitcoin fell to its lowest price in 15 months on Friday (Dec. 14), and analysts are predicting that further declines could be in store for the popular cryptocurrency. The price of bitcoin broke below the $3,200 mark to reach roughly $3,160 in the afternoon, MarketWatch reported. Daily FX Analyst Nick Cawley wrote in a note, which was reported prior to the latest drop, that the cryptocurrency could reach even lower lows heading into the future.
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.
ATM machine companies in India are warning that they will have to shutter as many as half of India’s cash machines because of new regulations, reported the Financial Times. According to a report in the Financial Times, citing the Confederation of ATM Industry (CATMi), the group said it will have to close down less profitable cash machines, many of which are located in remote rural areas and small towns.
Banks and businesses handling personal information face a delicate balancing act as global systems embrace smarter payments. They must deliver services that customers and clients demand while securing their personal data. Data is crucial and — fortunately, for banks and businesses in the smarter payments space — plentiful. By some accounts , more than 90 percent of existing data was created after 2014.
2108 has been the year of many things in payments and commerce. For Visa Global Head of Payments Products and Platforms TS Anil, it’s been a year in which many big steps have been taken on the journey toward giving merchants something that has made checking out in the store a safe, standard and interoperable checkout experience. A single digital terminal that can be used to create a secure, interoperable experience when consumers check out online — that experience comes by way of Secure Remote C
Bank technology firm Temenos has struck a deal to acquire banking services and on-boarding firm Avoka in one of the largest exits for an Australian FinTech, reports in the Australian Financial Review said Wednesday (Dec. 12). Switzerland-based Temenos will acquire Australia-based Avoka for $245 million, reports said, following Temenos’ acquisition for Australia’s Rubik Financial last year.
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.
The freelance and gig work economy continues to grow, creating wide-open opportunities for FinTechs and service providers addressing a range of new pain points for both the talent and the employer. Today, nearly half of gig workers surveyed for the most recent PYMNTS.com Gig Economy Index say they use a digital marketplace to find work, handle payments and manage other key components of freelancing, like taxes.
The number of merchants accepting card payments around the world grew by 13 percent in 2017, to 69.2 million, according to a report. RBR, a research and consulting firm for banking and retail, released a forecast of payment card data through 2023, and found that card payment acceptance is growing at a fast rate. The two regions with the most growth were also the two least developed: Asia-Pacific and Central and Eastern Europe.
Social media giant Facebook is looking to grow its blockchain team, according to a report. The company posted on its careers page that it’s looking for data engineers and scientists, software engineers and a product marketing lead for its blockchain team. The company said its ultimate goal is to “help billions of people with access to things they don’t have now – that could be things like equitable financial services, it could be new ways to save, it could be new ways to share information.
As a growing group of consumers around the globe adopt digital payment platforms and tools, some well-known players, including Google and Amazon, are now working to improve and expand access to the solutions that will make those transactions as frictionless as possible. In the latest Payments Powering Platforms Tracker , PYMNTS examines how digital payment platforms are being used to transform brick-and-mortar and remote transactions alike.
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.
TransferGo , an up-and-coming international money transfer company, has raised more than $17.6 million in a Series B funding round, according to a report. The London-based company, which was founded in 2012, is available in 47 countries and has offices in Warsaw, London, Berlin, Istanbul and Vilnius. With a customer base of upwards of 800,000 people – and almost 1,00 new ones per day – it’s one of the fastest money transfer services available.
An analysis of bitcoin addresses shows that the majority of bitcoin (BTC) owners own only one-tenth of the digital currency, according to a report. Digital asset research company Delphi ran the numbers and found out that 22.9 million bitcoin addresses have at least some amount of bitcoin. However, of those, almost half have 0.001 BTC ($3.40) and about 90 percent have less than one-tenth of BTC ($340).
BitPay has announced that OneGold, a marketplace that combines the benefits of gold and silver with blockchain-based digital assets, is now accepting bitcoin and bitcoin cash. Founded by APMEX and Sprott, OneGold allows investors to buy, sell and redeem digital gold and other precious metals. “Cryptocurrency is an ideal payment method for ecommerce and precious metals where the risk of chargebacks, fraud and identity theft with traditional credit cards is high,” Sonny Singh, chief commercial off
Much regulatory focus this past week came with headlines on anti-money-laundering efforts, aided by tech. As reported , a number of regulatory agencies — among them the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, the National Credit Union Administration and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), in tandem with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network — issued a joint statement.
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.
Instacart shoppers are unhappy with the company’s new payment structure, which has resulted in a decrease in wages. As a result, the workers are boycotting lower-paying orders, as well as trying to organize the company’s network of independent contractors. “We’re being mistreated,” Alid Alvarado, a single mom who lives in south suburban Oak Lawn, told the Chicago Tribune.
The procure-to-pay process can be like a game of dominoes stacked up and ready to fall into place. The first domino in the set is the purchase order, and unless that PO is correct, everything else, including invoice and payment, can quickly fall into disarray. Often, this issue is no more than a nuisance: if an organization procures a dozen desk chairs for the office, for example, an incorrect PO may lead to too few chairs being delivered, or payment being delayed, but the company can continue r
How does one build a brand that isn’t really a brand? It is a question that a new startup called Italic is tackling, as it looks to build a new type of marketplace where consumers can buy luxury-level goods at a fraction of the price they might pay for the luxury label sewn inside. The trick – and Italic’s secret sauce – is enabling the handful of specialized manufacturers sprinkled throughout Asia and Europe that produce luxury accessories, eyewear and handbags to sell directly to the consumers
Western Union has teamed up with TerraPay, a B2B mobile payments company, to enable bank account and mobile wallet payouts, according to the company. The partnership will expand Western Union’s account payout network and allow customers in Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia to send remittance payments directly to customers’ mobile wallets. TerraPay’s low-value payments network enables customers to send and receive transactions across many different payment instruments and systems, which allo
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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