Sat.Nov 02, 2019 - Fri.Nov 08, 2019

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Amazon To Build $40M Robotics Innovation Hub Near Boston

PYMNTS

Amazon is planning to build a $40 million state-of-the-art robotics innovation hub near Boston that will result in the creation of 200 tech and manufacturing jobs, Amazon announced in a press release Wednesday (Nov. 6). Tye Brady, chief technologist at Amazon Robotics, said the new hub will speed-up innovation and will be a “world-class facility, where our teams can design, build, program, and ship our robots, all under the same roof.”.

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Niesen Named Indiana Chamber Volunteer of the Year

Katz,Sapper&Miller

Donna Niesen has been named by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce as a 2019 Samuel C. Schlosser Volunteer of the Year. The award honors community leaders who give their time and expertise to the Chamber for the benefit of all Hoosier businesses.

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Flywire Taps Former Apple Pay Exec As President, COO

PYMNTS

A relentless focus on customer experience and simplifying complexity are the defining characteristics of the most valuable companies in the world today. It’s a concept Rob Orgel, now the new president and chief operating officer at Flywire , told Karen Webster was foundational to his decade-long career at Apple — where he was part of the leadership team that developed, rolled out and grew the Apple Pay business.

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Study: US Housing Market Slows Down As Homeowners Stay Put Longer

PYMNTS

U.S. homeowners’ decision to stay in their homes longer is keeping much-needed inventory off the real estate market, causing a slip in home sales. New analysis by Redfin found that homeowners around the country are typically staying in their homes for 13 years, five years longer than they did in 2010. “If people aren’t moving on, there just are fewer and fewer homes available for new home buyers,” said Daryl Fairweather, Redfin’s chief economist.

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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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Visa Teams With Tencent To Support Mobile Payments In China

PYMNTS

Visa has released a statement saying Tencent’s announcement that it will support international card schemes in its mobile wallet is “a great step forward” for the payments industry. “Visa believes this is a great step forward, both for consumers travelling to China and the overall payments industry. In a truly global commerce environment, collaboration is essential to provide consumers with a seamless payments experience,” Visa said in a release. .

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Coca-Cola Supply Co. To Expand Blockchain Efforts After Successful Trial

PYMNTS

Coca-Cola’s supply chain operations are run by an IT firm called Coke One North America (CONA), and the company recently had such a successful run with blockchain software provider SAP that it’s going to expand the program from two to 70 manufacturers, according to reports. . Those manufacturers deliver about 160,000 bottles a day. The purpose of the blockchain push was to help improve distribution and allow the manufacturers access to others’ orders and specifications. .

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Walmart Rolls Out Paid Membership Program For Unlimited Delivery

PYMNTS

Walmart has introduced a new program called Delivery Unlimited in 1,400 of its stores. Customers who want to order groceries from Walmart without having to pay a per-delivery fee every time have the option of paying $98 a year or $12.95 a month, according to the company. “That means shopping has never been easier or come at a better value — order your full grocery list plus anything you may need for the week ahead (like that toy you forgot for the birthday party this weekend!

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Why Friendly Fraud Is Anything But Friendly

PYMNTS

While there is little good to be said about criminal fraudsters who plague merchants by stealing credentials to snag goods with absolutely no intention of ever paying for them, they at least have the merit of being a fairly homogeneous group in terms of intention. The goal is to steal as much and as often as they possibly can. Fraud is their profession.

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Deep Dive: Digital ID Systems Wrestle With Ethics

PYMNTS

Digital identities are flexibly changing forms as they gain ubiquity. Consumers around the world log in to eBay with their Facebook profiles, purchase lunches with Apple Pay and in some cases pay their taxes or register to vote with government-provided digital identities. Many expanding technologies raise ethical implementation concerns, and digital ID’s extraordinary potential means coordinating clear and internationally accepted guidelines is increasingly necessary.

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In First Month, Goldman Extends $10B In Apple Card Credit 

PYMNTS

Goldman Sachs said it doled out about $10 billion in credit lines in just over month for the Apple -branded credit card, Bloomberg reported on Friday (Nov. 1). . According to regulatory filings made public this week, Apple Card? customers had $736 million in loan balances at the end of September, though it’s not clear how that compares with other credit cards, as Bloomberg said banks do not break out performance by individual cards.

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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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Andreessen Horowitz To Launch School For Blockchain/Crypto Startups

PYMNTS

Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz is offering a course to help entrepreneurs better understand blockchain technology and cryptocurrency companies, according to a report by CNBC. The firm was founded by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, and it has been one of the most active firms in the space, creating a $350 million fund dedicated to crypto investing.

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Goldman Extends $10B In Apple Card Credit In First Month

PYMNTS

Goldman Sachs said it doled out about $10 billion in credit lines in just over month for the Apple -branded credit card, Bloomberg reported on Friday (Nov. 1). . According to regulatory filings made public this week, Apple Card? customers had $736 million in loan balances at the end of September, though it’s not clear how that compares with other credit cards, as Bloomberg said banks do not break out performance by individual cards.

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Why Online Retail Fraud Is On the Rise

PYMNTS

Amazon has struggled with preventing counterfeit goods from infiltrating its marketplace. In the company’s ongoing efforts to prevent fraud on its site, Amazon announced a new program, Intellectual Property Accelerator, last month to help sellers make sure their products won’t be copied or counterfeited. From counterfeiting to identity theft to phishing attacks, digital fraud takes many forms — and online shopping continues to make consumers and merchants vulnerable to such attacks.

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Visa On Challenging B2B Payments Status Quo

PYMNTS

To change the status quo — to upend the way it’s always been done — the mantra goes, “think outside the box.”. Or in payments, think beyond the rails. To that end, Alan Koenigsberg, global head of new payment flows at Visa Business Solutions , said in a Masterclass interview with Karen Webster that the B2B space represents a landscape ripe with opportunity.

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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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SCA Awareness Issues Persist Among EU Merchants, Consumers

PYMNTS

Earlier studies found a surprising lack of both consumer and merchant awareness about the European Union’s Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) and second Payment Services Directive ( PSD2 ) regulations. Post-SCA deadline, a lack of readiness persists. SCA awareness is thankfully high among the payment providers tasked with executing and communicating the mandates to businesses and consumers.

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Why Amazon Decided To Bring Alexa Into The Bill Pay Flow

PYMNTS

It has happened to almost everyone. The bill comes in the mail — or maybe via email reminder — and the customer says, “Oh, I have to pay this,” then puts the bill down on their kitchen table or desk. Days pass, stuff piles up and, before the customer knows it, the due date has come and gone. Now, they owe the original bill, plus the late fee. Amazon Pay Vice President Patrick Gauthier told Karen Webster in a recent interview that billing is one of those areas in which, once the company put a lit

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Biometrics Innovation Tests Consumer Privacy Sentiment

PYMNTS

Biometrics isn’t as sci-fi as it once was. Thanks to smartphones equipped with facial and fingerprint recognition for security, many consumers now have up close and personal experience with newer forms of digital ID. Innovations — some more fantastical than others — keep emerging, though. Vein recognition? Voice patterns? Old hat. One of the newest forms of biometrics is the sound that an individual’s bones make.

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Tune.fm Enables Hedera Crypto Payments For Music

PYMNTS

Tune.fm has become the first music streaming platform with an integrated cryptocurrency to run on Hedera Hashgraph ‘s public distributed ledger technology (DLT). Musicians have often struggled to get paid what they are owed for their work. This system will use a Hedera-based crypto token called Jam that enables fast micropayments for every second of music streamed between fans and artists.

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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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Can Robots Help Solve the Fresh Food Problem?

PYMNTS

Fresh food is one of those products that, depending on the context, can almost feel like a minor luxury. Sure, consumers who can get to good grocery stores or farmers’ markets (not all shoppers can) or afford to subscribe to meal-kit delivery services, are assured of a steady supply of nutritious eats. But even so, many consumers work long shifts at places where vending machines and cafeterias offer, at best, mildly nutritious fare.

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When Restaurant Tech Sees Your Face And Identifies Your Taste

PYMNTS

“Service with a smile” has been a foundation of the consumer-facing restaurant industry , implying that warmly welcomed customers keep coming back. A new technological advancement could flip that model on its head, however, and enable customers to start the service process with their own smiles. . A handful of restaurants have run facial recognition technology experiments at their self-service kiosks.

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Top News In Payments: Santander Acquires Ebury Stake, Goldman Sachs Extends $10B In Apple Card Credit

PYMNTS

In today’s top payments news, Banco Santander is acquiring just over 50 percent of the U.K. payments platform Ebury for $453 million. Also, Goldman Sachs has doled out approximately $10 billion in credit lines for the Apple -branded credit card. And Capital One is back online after a major outage. Goldman Extends $10B In Apple Card Credit In First Month.

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Ripple Accused Of Making False Claims About SWIFT’s Error Rate

PYMNTS

San Francisco-based blockchain FinTech Ripple is being questioned about its claims that rival cross-border payments firm SWIFT has a 6 percent error rate, AMBCrypto reported Tuesday (Nov. 5). Banking consultant Martin Walker , director of Banking and Finance at the Center for Evidence-Based Management, said in a paper produced for the London School of Economics, that he questions the repeated claims by Ripple executives of a 6 percent failure rate for SWIFT messages.

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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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The Rise Of Instant Payments In The Lending Industry

PYMNTS

Lenders need to meet borrowers’ needs before any of their competitors swoop in, which means application processes must be as quick and seamless as possible. That need for speed is also critical when it comes to loan disbursements , according to Paul Gu, co-founder and head of product for personal lending provider Upstart , as slow payouts can create frictions and frustrate customers.

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Setting Sights On Children’s Customizable Eyewear

PYMNTS

Pair Eyewear Co-Founder and CEO Nathan Kondamuri started wearing glasses when he was 8 years old, around second or third grade. He told PYMNTS in an interview that he remembers “how daunting” and uncomfortable “of an experience it was getting glasses for the first time.” It’s the first time that kids start to look different from others in their class — and, beyond that, he noted that the actual “buying process of glasses doesn’t really help the situation at all.

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Visa Invests In LISNR To Boost Mobile Payments Growth

PYMNTS

Ultrasonic data firm LISNR is getting a strategic investment from Visa to speed up expansion of its mobile payments, LISNR announced in a press release on Tuesday (Nov. 5). LISNR uses ultrasound technology to provide a solution that lets merchants and payment providers accept mobile payment data anytime during the customer journey. The technology works with all types of purchase scenarios – including scan-and-go, store pickups and eCommerce – and can also be used for messages, authentication and

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Facebook To Enhance Encryption On Messenger Despite Regulators’ Protests

PYMNTS

Facebook said it is going to enhance encryption capabilities on its Messenger communication platform, despite requests from lawmakers and regulators not to do so because of the potential result that pedophiles and criminals will be harder to track. Facebook also said it is going to go over safety measures and tell users how to avoid unwanted content, or how to report it, Reuters reported.

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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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Why Smart Cities Of The Future Won’t Be Built In A Day

PYMNTS

While smart cities have been in the public consciousness for a long time, we’ve been writing about them here at PYMNTS since at least 2015. Up until very recently, that conversation has been largely theoretical and conceptual. We had been talking about all of the things we would do in the not-yet-defined future, where 5G technology is ubiquitous, our cities are connected and our lives are even better digitally modulated.

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China Changes Rules To Lure More IPOs In Tech

PYMNTS

China has changed some IPO rules to entice more tech companies to list publicly in the country, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. China previously attempted this and was focusing on large companies like Alibaba Group , but the plan never came to fruition due to a number of factors, including trade tensions and a lack of political support.

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Companies Can Make Payments In Billions Through BoA App

PYMNTS

Bank of America offers its corporate clients a unique perk. They can make payments in the billions of dollars on smartphones using the bank’s CashPro app, according to a report by Bloomberg. One company completed a $1.6 billion payment, which was the biggest transaction ever made using the app. CashPro is targeted to corporate treasury departments and small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs).

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Why Barclaycard Says Consumers Are Key To SCA Success

PYMNTS

As Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) becomes fully implemented, the merchants, banks and third-party payment services within the European Union (EU) are still working out the particulars. The impact of the regulation on the way payments and authentication can be conducted is being felt throughout the EU, but regulators in a variety of markets are still evaluating how SCA can best be applied.

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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.