PYMNTS

APRIL 20, 2017

Facebook’s annual developer conference F8 is seeing its fair share of chatbot integration announcements. Now the fashion world is taking center stage as both Rue21 and mode.ai announce their plans for a virtual stylist offering through Facebook’s Messenger app. While Rue21 is working with artificial intelligence–driven shopping bot provider mode.ai to take advantage of Facebook’s newly launched Chat Extensions feature, mode.ai also announced its plans for its own integration.

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Retail 78

Katz,Sapper&Miller

APRIL 18, 2017

Katz, Sapper & Miller's Construction Services Group will host a meeting for local users of Viewpoint Construction Software® Local User Group Meeting May 8 in Indianapolis.

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Construction 40

PYMNTS

APRIL 21, 2017

For Samsung, the big day is here in the U.S. — the new flagship phone, the Galaxy S8, will hit U.S. shores today. After the very public fail of the S7 — and the costly product recall that followed — the launch is being watched with great interest segment-wide. So of course, the complaints are rolling in — though the good news is that this time they are far less serious than spontaneous combustion.

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Technology 73

PYMNTS

APRIL 19, 2017

From phone support and mobile apps to ATMs and chatbots — when it comes to customer service, banking automation has come a long way. However, the one missing piece that these automated banking features lack is a real human being to interact with during a transaction. That’s something that Soul Machines, a New Zealand-based startup, is hoping to change.

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Speaker: Nancy Wu, Head of Sales and Customer Success at SkyStem

Join us for an enlightening webinar as we delve into the transformative realm of modern accounting practices. In today's digital age, the convergence of outsourcing and automation has revolutionized how businesses manage their financial operations. In this webinar we will explore the synergistic potential of these two strategies to streamline processes, enhance accuracy, save cost and drive strategic decision-making.

PYMNTS

APRIL 21, 2017

Cybercriminals certainly had a habit of churning out headline-worthy attacks in 2016 — from the Mirai botnet’s infamous distributed-denial-of-service attacks on domain directory Dyn and the DNC hack to hackers targeting the SWIFT interbank system. With these and other high-profile cases, the world became acutely aware of vulnerabilities in the digital realm.

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Technology 57

PYMNTS

APRIL 21, 2017

As the supply chain industry is one of the oldest businesses, it can sometimes be viewed as stodgy. While the industry has been around for well over a century, the term “supply chain management” wasn’t coined until the 1980s. CIO defines supply chain management as “the combination of art and science that goes into improving the way your company finds the raw components it needs to make a product or service and deliver it to customers.

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Manufacturing Technology Start-ups Government 53

PYMNTS

APRIL 19, 2017

At the end of a long day or after a particularly strenuous workout, sometimes a hot bath or a massage can be just what the doctor ordered. Some physicians may also prescribe massages for those that have chronic back pain. While not everyone has their own personal masseuse on speed dial, the on-demand economy luckily has a solution for this in startup company Zeel.

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PYMNTS

APRIL 21, 2017

Bitcoin’s (BTC) riding high once again as the third week of April rolls to a close. BTC values are rising to approach the all-time highs seen in early March before all the China troubles, the Securities and Exchange Commission denial double whammy and fears of a hard fork. The upward movement of BTC in April has been relatively steady nonetheless, boosted by adoption news out of Japan.

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PYMNTS

APRIL 21, 2017

Finding the time to go to the doctor’s office can be a struggle. From working a full day at the office to exercising regularly, making dinner, doing laundry, visiting friends and family as well as finding time for yourself, trips to see a physician can seem like a hassle. Typically, most people try to schedule doctor visits either early in the morning or late in the afternoon so as to disrupt as little of home or work life as possible.

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PYMNTS

APRIL 18, 2017

As the saying goes, money makes the world go around. The same can be said for the potential future success of chatbots. In nearly every aspect of daily life, there’s some form of money being exchanged for goods and services. It’s nearly impossible to find a day where money isn’t flowing between retailers and consumers. With today’s economy becoming increasingly more connected over the past decade, there have been various forms of technology solutions developed along the way to assist in streamli

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Retail Technology Start-ups E-commerce 49

Advertiser: Paycor

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PYMNTS

APRIL 19, 2017

“Who wants to shop at vending machines?”. When PYMNTS first encountered PayRange CEO Paresh Patel at Innovation Project 2013 , he was leading a tiny startup with a big goal: to bring vending into the digital age. Yes, vending — those large, unattended kiosks that typically serve a wide variety of salty snacks and soda and are often found in hotel ice machine corridors.

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Technology Retail Manufacturing Start-ups 47

PYMNTS

APRIL 19, 2017

Change within the enterprise will always bring friction, but when it comes to change brought about by the adoption of more sophisticated technologies — especially in accounting and cash management — that friction is worth the effort. But the picture of technology adoption is a complex one, as cloud accounting company Sage has shown. Earlier this month the firm released a white paper that found the majority of SMEs say they prefer to stick to traditional tools and processes instead of endure the

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PYMNTS

APRIL 20, 2017

Just west of the Research Triangle in North Carolina, Charlotte’s technology industry has been slowly growing over the past few years. As we reported about three weeks ago, Bank of America has announced its plans to invest $1.5 million over the course of the next three years to build up a FinTech hub in Charlotte. With this news, we decided to focus our Tech Center on the up-and-coming North Carolina city.

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Technology North Carolina Construction Start-ups 47

PYMNTS

APRIL 19, 2017

When the Small Business Borrowers’ Bill of Rights was developed in 2015, it appeared as if alternative SME lenders were collectively taking a stance against predatory lending practices in an effort to protect small businesses. While this is indeed true, Gina Harman, CEO of small business lender the Accion U.S. Network — which not only signed the Bill of Rights but helped design it — told PYMNTS that it’s imperative for the lenders to educate small businesses.

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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.

PYMNTS

APRIL 21, 2017

CVS looks to revamp its image and up wellness game in an effort to position itself as a health retailer. The national drugstore chain recently announced plans to reboot more of its physical stores to promote new lines of health and wellness products to do its new(ish) corporate name, CVS Health, proud. The health play isn’t just cosmetic. The new store design features a display, called the discovery zone, which features a broader assortment of healthy foods and wellness products along with

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PYMNTS

APRIL 21, 2017

Everyone’s talking about it. Apple looks to have joined the race to develop self-driving technology. Though, as is typical with Apple projects, details are vague at best. Lest we forget the quintessential uttering by CEO Tim Cook at a company shareholder meeting last month: “ future stuff [we] can’t talk about.”. At the time, “future stuff” was widely thought to be a reference to augmented reality technology.

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PYMNTS

APRIL 21, 2017

In the end, Yahoo managed to beat the Street just before becoming property. As has been reported, Verizon is buying Yahoo, but the beleaguered internet company spent its last quarter as a public company putting up numbers that showed some promise. The company said Tuesday (April 18) that its unadjusted earnings were up 125 percent to $0.18 a share — in the March period.

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PYMNTS

APRIL 18, 2017

Getting paid is a worker’s number one priority — including the fraudster. And that’s why they have turned to alternative payments as a way to both get paid and elude the traps that fraud detection systems have put up to find them. With that new focus also comes the rise of the payment hustler — a new breed of fraudster that deals in illicit products of services, typically operates online and has progressed from transaction laundering to payments laundering in the pursuit to get paid from their i

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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

Technology

PYMNTS

APRIL 20, 2017

InterContinental Hotel Group, the U.K.-based hospitality group which owns and operates brands like Crown Royale and Holiday Inn, recently reported finding malware in 1,200 of its U.S. franchise hotel locations. The malware looks to have been designed to steal guests’ payment card information. The breach, which reportedly could have affected cards left at the front desk between September and the end of December 2016, came to light after card networks warned the hotels that unauthorized charges ha

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Hospitality Education Government Account 45

PYMNTS

APRIL 18, 2017

Banks and financial institutions spend billions of dollars to ensure they are meeting compliance requirements and properly managing risks. But is all the money being invested really getting the job done? Despite a compliance market packed with providers and the investment from companies to ensure they stay on the right side of regulations, instances of money laundering and fraud are still prevalent and not going anywhere any time soon.

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Technology Maine 44

PYMNTS

APRIL 20, 2017

It’s been awhile since our last edition of Alibaba tracker, and a great deal has happened since then. There’s a lot to get through, so hold on to your proverbial hats! First up: no showers, just flowers for Alibaba (BABA) shares in April. The company continues its steady year-to-date progress into spring. Since the ball dropped, BABA has seen net gains of 27.24 percent.

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PYMNTS

APRIL 18, 2017

From selfie authentication to finance tools that respond to emojis to computer-generated avatars that look and act like real people, new technological tools are giving digital banking a makeover. The April PYMNTS Digital Banking Tracker™ looks at the various ways technology is changing the digital banking landscape. Banking Gets New Tools, New Players.

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Technology accounting and finance Government Finance 44

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Finance

PYMNTS

APRIL 20, 2017

The U.K.’s challenger bank landscape is spreading since regulators have welcomed new competition into the retail banking space. Market entrants are looking to disrupt across a range of segments of the banking industry, but SME finance has become a popular target for these innovators. It seems that every few weeks another FinTech is seeking a banking license in the U.K.

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accounting and finance Finance Maine Technology 44

PYMNTS

APRIL 18, 2017

Retailers like Neiman Marcus are discovering that even high-end shoppers want a good deal, with sales of personal luxury goods falling for the first time since 2009. According to The Wall Street Journal , falling foot traffic and constant price wars have triggered widespread closure of brick-and-mortar stores, with sales of items such as designer apparel and handbags falling 1 percent last year.

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Retail Maine Sales 44

PYMNTS

APRIL 17, 2017

Big ideas often start by solving a seemingly small problem. In the case of Square — the payments innovator that launched hundreds of mPOS imitators — the small problem was $2,000 worth of handblown glass that artisan Jim McKelvey couldn’t close the deal and sell. Not because he didn’t have a buyer, but because his buyer didn’t have that much cash— and McKelvey didn’t take credit cards.

accounting and finance 44

accounting and finance Start-ups Gaming Account 44

PYMNTS

APRIL 17, 2017

Fifth Third Bank is focusing its SME lending reach through a new partnership with nonprofit lender Accion. Reports late last week said the bank will work with SME lending portal Accion, a nonprofit company, to facilitate the financing of these companies across five states: Florida, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. The collaboration will combine lending with overall support to the small businesses that seek financing and other resources to be successful, the companies said.

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Advertiser: Paycor

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.

PYMNTS

APRIL 21, 2017

Financial security software firm NICE Actimize is launching a new solution to combat financial fraud using cloud technology. The company announced this week that it is rolling out ActimizeWatch, a cloud-based analytics solution that aggregates and assesses transactional data, pulled from various financial service providers, to identify fraud. The company is deploying machine learning technology to identify threats and automatically email managers to ensure financial service providers are protect

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PYMNTS

APRIL 20, 2017

The most popular communication tool for fraudsters, cybercriminals and other digital crooks probably isn’t what you’d think. While the thought of cybercriminals talking shady dealings might conjure up imagery of a digital back-alley chat in the depths of the dark web, the reality appears to be much more … well, innocuous. According to a new report on cybercriminal communication strategies from security company Flashpoint , it turns out the number one hangout for the digital world’s most wa

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PYMNTS

APRIL 19, 2017

More big things have just come to Facebook Messenger and its native virtual assistant chatbot M, the company said at the ongoing F8 developer conference. Soon after rolling out group payment capabilities in its Messenger app for U.S. users, the social media giant has announced the addition of a whole host of additional functions including support for QR codes, food delivery and upgrades to games.

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Gaming 43

PYMNTS

APRIL 18, 2017

Companies from around the world have the probability of getting hacked at any time regardless of the security measures put in place. According to the British Chamber of Commerce , quite a few cyberattacks occurred last year. Here are the numbers: 20 percent | Percentage of U.K. businesses hacked in 2016. 24 percent | Percentage of U.K. businesses reporting to have anti-hacking security in place. 42 percent | Percentage of big businesses that have been hacked in the U.K. 18 percent | Percentag

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"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.

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