Sat.May 20, 2017 - Fri.May 26, 2017

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Why Smartphones Are The Biggest Payments Innovator

PYMNTS

Innovation is happening at the speed of payments — which, as it turns out, can be pretty fast these days. In this edition of the PYMNTS’ Commander in Chief Series , Western Union President Odilon Almeida shares a day in the life as leader of one of the largest global person-to-person money transfer networks, what smartphones have done for the payments space and why security and compliance are always key in a game where the rules are changing every day.

Gaming 76
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Manufacturing Insiders: Insights from the Nation’s Largest Industrial Trade Association

Katz,Sapper&Miller

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) recently invited members of Manufacturing CPAs (Katz, Sapper & Miller included) to its Washington, D.C., office for an exclusive conversation about issues NAM is currently researching and advocating.

Insiders

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Trending Sources

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Menlo Ventures Closes New Early Stage $450M Fund

PYMNTS

Menlo Ventures , the Silicon Valley venture capital firm, closed a new $450 million venture capital fund aimed at investing in early stage companies focused in the consumer, enterprise and so-called frontier technologies markets. According to a report in TechCrunch , with the new fund, the VC has a total capital of greater than $5 billion under management.

Maine 65
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Bank Of America Branches Into Data Sharing

PYMNTS

Going forward, BoA has announced it will be working with financial data aggregators to give their customers a greater ability to connect their banking information with third-party financial management applications. According to spokesperson Michelle Moore, the move comes as part of the bank’s API strategy that will see banking data utilizing a unique token that takes things like usernames out of circulation.

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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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Latest Trends Show Shopping Centers Becoming More Social For Consumers

PYMNTS

Phillips Edison & Company , a fully integrated real estate firm with a national platform of grocery-anchored shopping centers, released its industry insights on trending themes for retail shopping centers this week at ICSC’s RECon event in Las Vegas. According to a press release , shopping centers are becoming a social arena where shoppers can eat, drink, socialize and shop.

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Delivery Hero Set For $4.5B Going Public Valuation

PYMNTS

With people’s extremely busy lives and the tech industry’s push to satisfy consumer demand for instant gratification, it’s no wonder the food delivery market has proven to be successful. Just before the summer officially hits, there are talks of European-based food delivery startup company, Delivery Hero , going public with a listing valued at $4.5 billion (4 billion euros).

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The Summer Of Love (Or Not) Edition: CapOne & IDs, Android Pay & PayPal And Walgreens & (Maybe Not) Rite Aid

PYMNTS

The summer is here! Okay, the summer is almost here. Just one week more and Memorial Day is upon us, and with it summer’s unofficial beginning. Given the bang — or, more accurately, series of bangs — 2017 has gotten off to in its first half, it is easy to imagine some — if not all — of us are ready to settle into a beach chair, seaside, with only the sound of the surf and a good book to while the time away.

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R3’s Blockchain, Billtrust’s AR Tech Land Big VC Bucks

PYMNTS

Yet again, the B2B FinTech industry proves it’s quality over quantity when it comes to venture capital. This week saw just three funding rounds, but two of which were some of the largest the industry has seen in weeks. Accounts receivable company Billtrust landed major bucks, while a cross-border payments startup stayed mum about its own investment.

B2B 49
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NEW REPORT: Upgrade Payment Systems, Build Stronger Communities?

PYMNTS

Sunscreen? Check. Bug spray? Check. Updated online systems to reduce paperwork? Check. In recent weeks, companies have rolled out several different types of Payments-as-a-Service (PaaS) solutions that are designed to help both online and brick-and-mortar merchants. These solutions include POS and cloud-based solutions that are geared toward helping businesses in a variety of different sectors, including restaurants and recreation.

payroll 49
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Phoenix Welcomes Online Alcohol Delivery Startup, Drizly

PYMNTS

Boston-based eCommerce alcohol delivery startup Drizly has announced its next location in Phoenix, Arizona. Partnering to deliver alcohol from local liquor stores that include Lucky’s Liquor, Gary’s Liquor and Chandler Liquors, Phoenix residents will now be able to order and receive alcohol delivery from these retailers. Neighborhoods in the Phoenix area that will have access to this service include Glendale, Peoria, Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa, Gilbert, and Chandler.

Arizona 49
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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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Raise Launches New Mobile App

PYMNTS

Online gift card marketplace Raise is announcing the launch of their new mobile app for iOS and Android. Raise’s marketplace is home to 300 retail partners and 3,000 brands and serves approximately 2 million customers looking for discounted digital gift cards. The new app is designed to make is using digital gift cards in store and online frictionless for everyday purchases.

Retail 47
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Millionaires, Millennials And The Great Avocado Debate

PYMNTS

It was a week of controversy for the ages – battle lines were drawn, allegiances were declared and ad hominem attacks were spewed on Twitter. No, we’re not talking about the appointment of the Special Prosecutor to investigate the firing of James Comey. No, we’re talking about the real debate in America and the answer to the most important questions facing our nation today.

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Using AI To Stop Store Robberies In Real Time

PYMNTS

While the world is busy helping retailers stop cybercrooks from stealing them blind online, every year 75,000 small retailers are being robbed at their physical locations. Curtailing or even stopping it, Sean Huver, CEO and founder of Deep Science AI , told Karen Webster in the latest Topic TBD, is a matter of using the same visual search techniques that Google is using to enable a person snapping a picture of a cool blue bike to find out where to buy it.

Retail 47
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Chinese Scammers Snared, Confess To Stealing $138 Million USD

PYMNTS

In an ongoing digital fraud scheme, Chinese scammers have racked up over 950 million yuan ($138 million USD) from more than 93,000 victims by preying on victims’ sense of national pride and desire for easy returns. Police in Tianjin, Beijing and Guangxi arrested 44 more suspects on Thursday (May 25). Scammers promised victims a large payout for their small deposit, which was touted to help “unfreeze” assets belonging to former dynastic rulers and the Kuomintang government that had been smuggled

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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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Today In Data: The Story Behind The Bitcoin Story

PYMNTS

You’ve probably read a lot about bitcoin lately, as its value has been running a seemingly infinite victory lap this week and throughout 2017. But there’s more to bitcoin than stocks and price per coin. Here are some of the numbers behind the cryptocurrency. 182% | Increase in bitcoin value in 2017. 32| Countries where Coinbase, the world’s largest bitcoin company, has operations.

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Blockchain Tracker: How Blockchain Tech Is Evolving Financial Services

PYMNTS

Some could argue that over the past few decades, financial services has completely transformed itself. From relying on physically walking into a bank to withdraw cash to snapping a photo of a check for deposits, technology has played a great part in the way financial transactions have evolved within the last thirty years. The latest technological finance breakthrough, blockchain technology, has been a slow burn over the past eight years, since 2009 when it popped up as the power behind bitcoins.

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Barnes & Noble’s New CEO on Brick-and-Mortar’s Survival

PYMNTS

While Barnes & Noble reported an 8.3 percent decline in sales this past holiday season, it’s not down for the count (at least, not without a fight). Although we’ve seen the retailer close its college bookstore chain and reduce its Nook business, Barnes & Noble’s newly appointed CEO, Demos Parneros, is confident that physical bookstores still have a place in today’s e-commerce driven sales arena.

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Could Regulation Prevent The Next Cyberattack?

PYMNTS

After the latest worldwide cyberattack, the question remains: What’s going to change? That depends, says counterterrorism and cybersecurity expert Richard Clarke, on what companies, banks and regulators are willing to learn from the incident. In early May, approximately 300,000 computer systems in more than 150 countries were compromised by the WannaCry cyberattack.

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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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AmazonFresh Pickup Gets Smart

PYMNTS

Ecommerce giant Amazon is increasingly dipping its virtual toes into the physical world, this time with the launch of the AmazonFresh Pickup service in Seattle’s Ballard and SoDo neighborhoods. Amazon Prime members can now order groceries online and pick them up at one of two designated windows in the city where the company keeps it headquarters. For users willing to pay an extra $15 per month to get the Fresh add-on, pickup can be scheduled for as soon as 15 minutes after the order is placed.

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Brexit Exodus Trickling Toward a Steady Stream?

PYMNTS

The exodus fomented by Brexit may be quickening. As noted by sources including CNN Money , data shows that 117,000 individuals, who have citizenship in European countries but who were residing in the U.K, left Britain last year. That’s a whopping 36 percent boost over 2015’s figures. The migration, of course, comes in the wake of Brexit and a wave of questions over who lives where, where they can work, and even how they’d get paid.

Legal 46
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Wyre Chatbot Enables China-US B2B Payments

PYMNTS

Blockchain FinTech Wyre is the latest firm to deploy chatbot technology to facilitate B2B transactions. The U.S.-based company said Wednesday (May 24) that it is launching a chatbot that links to Facebook in the U.S. and WeChat in China to facilitate B2B payments. “WeChat is everything in China. Email is somewhat outdated,” Wyre CEO Michael Dunworth said.

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Retail Enablers: Woolworths Goes High-Efficiency With HighJump

PYMNTS

B2B is dead. Or at least, it’s changed irrevocably since evolving markets have brought businesses and end consumers into closer orbit. “B2B will never be the same because of the ‘C’ component,” said David Houser, senior vice president for international sales at the global supply chain management company HighJump. Luckily for HighJump, as businesses seek ways to serve an ever-growing and ever more fickle customer base, “We’re the best-looking and smartest student in the class,” Houser said.

Retail 46
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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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Is The Recreation Market Ready For A Payments Makeover?

PYMNTS

For millions of families, the arrival of warm weather means it’s time to start thinking about summertime activities for the kids. But for recreational activity organizers — including sleepaway camps and athletic programs — the arrival of these customers can also mean unwanted headaches in the form of paperwork. Because many summer camps and recreational programs don’t offer their customers the ability to register or make payments using modern payment processing solutions, program organizers can

Sports 46
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For NACHA Award Winners, Innovation Beyond Speed And Plumbing

PYMNTS

Necessity is the mother of invention, goes the saying, but in payments, sometimes invention evolves into necessity. Or, put another away: Why didn’t we think of that? Transaction pain points are often so deeply ingrained in process that they become endured with a shrug. Until someone, or some firm, comes along with a better way of doing things that is so simple and convenient upon unveiling that it offers a new level of standardization that proves a boon for all parties involved.

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Ford Hopes Former Furniture Executive Can Bring It Up To Tech Speed

PYMNTS

Ford Motor has appointed a new Chief Executive for the automaker who has little experience in the auto industry or the technology market , both of which are putting pressure on the company. According to a report , Ford’s new CEO Jim Hackett has been on the board at the car company since 2013 and has run the Smart Mobility Group for the last year, but most of his career was in the furniture market when he was in charge of office furniture company Steelcase for twenty years.

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Pet Owners Shopping More Online As Traditional Retailers Fight To Compete

PYMNTS

A new study has found that more pet owners are shopping for products online and traditional retailers will have to do more than boost their online presence in order to compete. Chain Store Age reports a study from research firm Packaged Facts found that 40 percent of pet owners are buying pet products online, up from 37 percent who shopped online the previous year.

Retail 45
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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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Developing The Right Omnichannel Fit

PYMNTS

Whether a brand is selling athletic apparel globally, or it’s trying to sell parents on letting their kids build their own teddy bears, the bottom line is almost always conversions. For those online purchases to happen, consumers need to be able to seamlessly search a company’s website, navigate it easily, add items to their shopping carts and enter payment information, all in a frictionless way.

Retail 45
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For Restaurants, Profits by the Plate (With Upserve)

PYMNTS

It’s no secret that Americans love to eat. And entrepreneurs with an eye on gourmets and gourmands love to serve. For the restaurateurs, however, problems arise: How to eke out profits and drive repeat business. In an interview with PYMNTS’ Karen Webster, Upserve CEO and Founder Angus Davis delved into the ways his company, and technology in general, can solve those issues.

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Why Digital Payments Players Shouldn’t Ignore Seniors

PYMNTS

While more Americans 65 and older are embracing technology, with roughly two-thirds of older citizens going online and owning smartphones, many seniors remain relatively unconnected from digital life for a variety of reasons. According to Pew Research Center , there is a record 46 million seniors living in the United States, accounting for 15 percent of the population.

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Robots Poised To Take Over Retail

PYMNTS

Automation has hit the manufacturing industry hard, costing the industry millions of factory jobs — yet it has the potential to hit retail even harder. According to a new study by financial services firm Cornerstone Capital Group , robots are poised to capture between 6 million and 7.5 million jobs over the next 10 years across retail and other sectors.

Retail 44
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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.