PYMNTS

DECEMBER 19, 2016

Blockchain has officially entered the grocery aisles. Walmart has announced that it is now testing new blockchain technology to track and trace produce in U.S. stores and pork in China. PYMNTS covered the testing and lead-up to the kickoff back in November. Now, the technology and use of it are even closer. It’s a pilot program, where sliced apples and cut broccoli will be used to test the blockchain database technology for four months starting in the first quarter of 2017.

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Technology Manufacturing Start-ups Retail 92

Katz,Sapper&Miller

DECEMBER 21, 2016

Ryan Miller, senior tax partner at Katz, Sapper & Miller, along with Bob Bracale, management consultant with KSM Consulting, will present at the KSM and Institute of Management Accountants – Indianapolis Chapter’s “2017 Tax Strategies and Lean Six Sigma in High-Performance Organizations.

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PYMNTS

DECEMBER 22, 2016

2017 looks like it’s shaping up to be a solid year. Between consumer confidence trending upward and more people spending — and racking up some debt — retailers are slated to be pleased when the ball drops and the confetti settles. But in order to look forward, it’s important to look back at the past year. And in this case, we’re reflecting on 2016’s eCommerce trends.

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Retail Technology Sales 70

PYMNTS

DECEMBER 22, 2016

Corporates large and small are “naïve” about their cybersecurity risks, according to a new report. Researchers at cybersecurity analytics company RedSeal released a survey this month that explores why businesses aren’t adequately approaching their security strategies, and it comes in the context of new data from IBM Security that finds U.S. firms aren’t heeding advice from the Federal Bureau of Investigation about how to deal with an attack.

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PYMNTS

DECEMBER 19, 2016

Headed into the end of 2016, bitcoin trades on the high end of $700, and much has been made about the price appreciation in the wake of geopolitical surprises, such as Brexit and, of course, the U.S. presidential election. The question remains, however, just how bitcoin should be viewed and used. In the most recent installment of PYMNTS Topic TBD, Gene Kavner, founder and CEO of iPayYou, noted that bitcoin is moving through a transition.

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Retail Start-ups Account accountant 64

PYMNTS

DECEMBER 23, 2016

The holiday shopping season is in full swing. It’s the time of year when many children write letters to Santa Claus listing all the cool stuff they want to receive for being good all year. But jolly old men in the North Pole aren’t the only ones with insights into what shoppers are most interested in buying. In the world of IoT, a new connected billboard may be able to tell what products shoppers are most likely to be interested in buying and pinpoint the best time to display a relevant ad for t

Transportation 61

Transportation Start-ups Retail 61

PYMNTS

DECEMBER 23, 2016

It’s no surprise that venture capital rounds in B2B FinTech may be dwindling as the holidays ramp up, but that doesn’t mean the space has gone ignored. Investors in the U.S., Europe and Asia provided more than $19 million across treasury management, corporate FinTech and Software-as-a-Service. The most high-profile (yet secretive) deal went to Kyriba, but SaaS scored two deals this week.

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B2B Construction Expense Management New York 58

PYMNTS

DECEMBER 20, 2016

From open APIs to omnichannel, from EMV chip cards to faster payments, it’s hard to put a finger on exactly which happenings in the payments space had the biggest impact in 2016. There were many shifts and trends in the ecosystem this year, some that will surely have an impact on how payments stakeholders operate for years to come. But picking the most influential is a tough job.

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PYMNTS

DECEMBER 22, 2016

With a new year on the horizon, it’s out with the old and in with the new. For the banking industry, this could be an ideal time to consider if the traditional rules of business are still working or if the industry could benefit from a fresh approach. According to Chris Britt, CEO of mobile-first banking platform Chime, consumers are getting frustrated with larger, traditional financial institutions.

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PYMNTS

DECEMBER 22, 2016

[link]. Financial services may be on the cusp of change in the very nature of how funds are stored and moved between people and enterprises. The evolution of the industry, however, is not likely to be a linear one — wholesale change rarely is. In an interview with Karim Ahmad, TSYS executive vice president of global product and innovation, PYMNTS’ Karen Webster delved into the very nature of change, marking what once might have been a staid industry.

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Start-ups Technology 53

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

DECEMBER 19, 2016

Beijing has started prosecuting 26 people who are behind what is alleged to be China’s largest online fraud scam. According to a report by Reuters , the fraud case involves a close to $8.64 billion scam from online peer-to-peer lender Ezubao. Ten people, as well as Ezubao’s parent companies, Yucheng Holdings and Yucheng Global, are facing charges of fraudulently raising money.

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PYMNTS

DECEMBER 23, 2016

PYMNTS consulted 21 payments executives from across the industry to share their insights on the biggest takeaways from 2016 as part of the “Payments 2016, The Year Of…” eBook. We posed the same question to each executive: If you had to answer the question, Payments was the year of …, how would you answer, and how does your answer change your world — and the world of payments,more broadly?

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PYMNTS

DECEMBER 23, 2016

Supply chain financing company Taulia is working with a new partner to step into the aerospace and defense industry, among others. Reports Thursday (Dec. 22) said Taulia announced a partnership with Exostar, which provides cloud-based solutions to the sector, as well as to the life sciences and health care sectors. Its software helps businesses in these spaces mitigate risk and security.

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Finance Technology B2B 52

PYMNTS

DECEMBER 21, 2016

There was a time when data breaches were not a daily part of consumers’ day-to-day lives. Sure, credit cards got stolen or skimmed from time to time — but such occurrences were comparatively rare. These days, that is just not the world we live in. About a week ago, a billion (with a “b”) Yahoo! customers found out that their personal information has been in the hands of hackers for the last few years, mostly due to out-of-date encryption and an apparent unwillingness on Yahoo!

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Start-ups Account accountant accounted 52

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

DECEMBER 20, 2016

The financial services industry was one of the first to begin tapping into the power of blockchain. But distributed ledger technology has potential to disrupt more than payments and finance. A new report from Deloitte examines which industries have their eye on blockchain and which are still left in the dark. According to the company’s report , released earlier this month, 39 percent of top executives at U.S. businesses say they have little or no knowledge about blockchain.

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B2B Manufacturing accounting and finance Maine 52

PYMNTS

DECEMBER 21, 2016

Engility , a cybersecurity firm based in Chantilly, Virginia, announced that it was awarded a $31 million contract in support of the U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Cyber Security Engineering Division. The company’s work will include providing the Air Force with a cybersecurity assessment, analysis and research for its Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC).

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PYMNTS

DECEMBER 20, 2016

American consumers have shown they’re hungry for new payment options. . As documented in the December edition of the Unattended Retail Tracker™ , the results of a six-month long study conducted by USA Technologies show that just informing customers that a merchant or vendor accepts Apple Pay and other mobile wallets can boost overall sales by more than 36 percent.

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Technology Retail Sales Maine 52

PYMNTS

DECEMBER 23, 2016

Dear Mr. Claus, We here at PYMNTS have hung up our stockings and strung up our lights. We set out the milk and cookies for your arrival. (There’s also some craft beer available in the off chance that’s your thing.) But before we don our nightcaps and dream of sugarplums, we wanted to reach out and say that we have a lot to be thankful for, so while we’d love for you to have our cookies and your beverage of choice, we don’t want any presents this year.

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Technology California Retail Sales 52

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Technology

PYMNTS

DECEMBER 20, 2016

The problem, according to Rod Buscher, CEO and founder of Blinker, is that most Americans need a car — meaning they often don’t feel they have a lot of power to dictate terms when it comes to getting a car. “Despite the mental image I think people have of a car purchase being a very negotiation-oriented process — haggling with a salesman and hammering out the best deal — that is not the reality a lot of buyers and sellers face,” said Buscher.

Sales 51

Sales Colorado accounting and finance Finance 51

PYMNTS

DECEMBER 20, 2016

U.K. fintech company MB Transfers, which enables cross-border B2B payments, is going by a new name: ArcaPay. It’s part of the company’s effort to refocus on digitization, CEO Marius Bausys said in the company’s announcement earlier this month. The rebrand also comes with new efforts to help SMEs succeed through a consulting service. The strategic moves, ArcaPay explained , are in response to small businesses needing more attention and specialized services that they aren’t getting from their ba

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PYMNTS

DECEMBER 19, 2016

Keeping hands off a mobile phone, it appears, is no easy feat. American consumers check their phones nearly 46 times — or, collectively, 8 billion times — a day, a Deloitte study found last year. And merchants are no different. They’re spending as much time trying to get consumers’ attention on their mobile screens. In the fourth quarter of 2016, over 93 percent of mid- to large-sized merchants and over 84 percent of small to mid-sized merchants offered a mobile-optimized eCommerce experience to

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Retail Start-ups Gaming Technology 50

PYMNTS

DECEMBER 21, 2016

The NBA’s Orlando Magic may not be the first franchise that comes to mind when one thinks of B2B payments technology, but Viewpost changed that with its announcement Tuesday (Dec. 20). The invoicing and corporate cash management firm revealed that the NBA team is now using Viewpost to manage its own supplier payments needs, enabling the franchise to send digital invoices to its corporate clients and accept electronic payments.

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B2B Gaming Sports Finance 50

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PYMNTS

DECEMBER 21, 2016

Americans, especially millennials, are hungry for restaurant innovation. According to a report on restaurant technology usage from Technomic, 79 percent of restaurant customers surveyed agree that technology improves their experience at an eatery. New payments and engagement systems are especially popular among younger consumers, according to the report, with 77 percent of North American customers between ages 18 and 34 reporting that they want more modern options at restaurant chains.

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Technology Gaming Retail Account 50

PYMNTS

DECEMBER 23, 2016

VocaLink isn’t facing enough competition in its role of providing the underlying infrastructure of key payment systems like Bacs, according to the U.K. Payment Systems Regulator (PSR). Earlier in the year, the authority published proposed remedies for pumping competition into the market. The PSR has now released a consultation paper in response to feedback received after those proposals were issued, according to Shearman & Sterling LLP.

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B2B 49

PYMNTS

DECEMBER 22, 2016

The number of young adults in the U.S. that are shacking up with their parents, siblings or other family members reached close to 40 percent in 2015, marking the largest percentage since 1940. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal , which is based on an analysis of census data by Trulia, the online real estate firm, even though the economy and job market are improving, the number of people between the ages of 18 and 34 living with their parents or family members has been on the rise

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PYMNTS

DECEMBER 22, 2016

PYMNTS consulted 21 payments executives from across the industry to share their insights on the biggest takeaways from 2016 as part of the “Payments 2016, The Year Of…” eBook. We posed the same question to each executive: If you had to answer the question, Payments was the year of …, how would you answer, and how does your answer change your world — and the world of payments, more broadly?

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Finance

PYMNTS

DECEMBER 23, 2016

Tricking someone into clicking on a fake website and turning over their personal data has been a favorite scam of hackers, and it doesn’t seem to be abating, with security firm Cyren reporting a fake Michael Kors shopping website coming in as the highest volume non-malware attack of all of 2016. In a blog post Thursday (Dec. 22), Cyren said a spam attack for the fake Michael Kors website is the highest Cyren’s security cloud has seen this year.

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PYMNTS

DECEMBER 22, 2016

The wearables market may be doing worse than expected , according to new research. Market research firm International Data Corp. (IDC) recently reported that the wearables market isn’t doing as well as most people think with the proliferation of options. Despite Apple CEO Tim Cook saying otherwise, the launch of the Apple Watch Series 2 this fall hasn’t gained traction, as Apple’s sales declined 71 percent compared to last year’s third quarter.

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Sports Sales Technology Retail 49

PYMNTS

DECEMBER 20, 2016

Critics are after Facebook for admitting to yet another a traffic calculation error. It’s the fourth time in the past three months. In its Metrics FYI blog post updated on Dec. 16 , the social media giant said there was a discrepancy in how the platform measured traffic from news outlets and other publishers who use Instant Articles, which it launched last year.

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Technology 49

PYMNTS

DECEMBER 21, 2016

Yahoo has reportedly canceled its mobile travel assistant chatbot Yahoo Radar, which was billed last summer as the perfect way to plan your next vacation. The tool was an alternative to online travel websites that relied on artificial intelligence and chatbots to research trips for consumers. In a statement to VentureBeat , Yahoo said: “At Yahoo, we are constantly reviewing and revising our product portfolio as we strive to innovate and bring users the best experiences possible … We plan to inc

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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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