PYMNTS
MARCH 14, 2019
Sephora, the beauty retailer, announced on Thursday (March 14) the launch of a new credit card program. The company said in a press release that starting in the spring, it will offer the Sephora credit card, Sephora Visa® credit card and Sephora Visa Signature® credit card to its retail customers. The credit cards will provide customers with more ways to earn rewards for their purchases, the retailer said in the release.
Katz,Sapper&Miller
MARCH 14, 2019
The Tax Reform and Jobs Act (TCJA) was the most comprehensive overhaul of the tax code in our lifetime, if not ever. We are just weeks away from the first tax filing deadline for returns that are fully impacted by these law changes. One change that could drastically impact truck drivers is the inability to deduct unreimbursed business expenses. As a result of this adjustment, many carriers have implemented per diem programs as a way to get tax free dollars to drivers.
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Cherry Bekaert
MARCH 14, 2019
Over 50 indictments were announced Tuesday related to an alleged scheme aimed to help college applicants gain admission to elite schools. According to an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation called “Operation Varsity Blues”, the scheme involved wealthy parents paying bribes of up to $6.5 million to college coaches to place their children on the lists of recruited athletes.
CBH
MARCH 12, 2019
The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (“SASB”) recently announced the appointment of Madelyn Antoncic as the board’s new chief executive officer. With over 30 years of experience leading large financial institutions around the world, Antoncic joins SASB after serving as executive director and global head of official sector partnerships at Principal Global Investors.
Speaker: Victor C. Barnes, CPA, MBA
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.
PYMNTS
MARCH 12, 2019
Digital banking customers of today aren’t looking for the bank with the newest features — they’re looking for the bank that can keep their data safe. Any security mishap can send customers to one of the other digital banking apps that are ready and waiting for them. In the new Digital Banking Tracker , PYMNTS examines the ways digital banking is changing as security measures grow more stringent, and challenger banks look to amass more customers.
PYMNTS
MARCH 12, 2019
Innovation has always been important for community banks, but the driving force of digitization over the last decade has greatly sped up the pace, said Kevin Tweddle, chief innovation officer for the Independent Community Bankers of America ( ICBA ). That push, he noted, hasn’t come from within the financial services industry proper, but primarily from the so-called “GAFA group” of Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple — and the many ways they’ve made doing business simpler and smoother for consume
Accountant Advocate brings together the best content for small business accounting professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
PYMNTS
MARCH 15, 2019
Anxieties that automation will replace humans have waned in the accounting sector, as industry players begin to realize that technology can actually help accountants play a more important role for their small business (SMB) customers as advisors and guides, rather than replacing their roles outright. With the first tax season post-tax reform nearing completion in the U.S., the small business accounting sector has seen even more evidence that the advisory role of SMB accountants remains of promin
PYMNTS
MARCH 14, 2019
Volatile times make for sleepless nights for corporate executives, particularly those whose job it is to manage the cash positions of their organizations. For corporate treasurers, Manish Kohli, global head of payments and receivables at Citi , told PYMNTS’ Karen Webster, three concerns tend to top the list: geopolitical uncertainty, cyber threats and disruption resulting from the emergence of new business models in an interconnected global market.
PYMNTS
MARCH 12, 2019
Money moves only as fast as payments infrastructure will allow. To that end, there’s a bottleneck. The gig economy is gaining steam, as roughly a third (more than 35 percent) of U.S. workers are participating in part-time or project-based employment, and increasingly they want to get paid when the work is done. Roughly 85 percent of the several thousand gig workers we surveyed said they would work more often if they could be paid faster.
PYMNTS
MARCH 13, 2019
NACHA, national administrator of the ACH network, said a third processing window for same-day transactions will be postponed for six months until the Federal Reserve Board of Governors (Fed Board) approves the initiative. In September of 2018, NACHA said it would expand same day ACH transactions and establish a “new window” that would “allow Same Day ACH files to be submitted until 4:45 p.m.
Speaker: Kim Beynon, CPA, CGMA, PMP
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.
PYMNTS
MARCH 12, 2019
Online commerce solution provider BigCommerce is adding business-to-business eCommerce to its suite of services. The company said in a press release Tuesday (March 12) that, along with a slew of partners, it has launched BigCommerce for B2B to provide B2B sellers with resources to more efficiently sell online. The firm is working with several partners that offer their own B2B solutions, which integrate their tools into the BigCommerce for B2B platform.
PYMNTS
MARCH 15, 2019
The U.S. Commerce Department is expanding its Trade Finance Advisory Council (TFAC), having recently appointed 21 new members to the group in an effort to explore innovation in and access to trade finance. Among the new members is blockchain company R3, according to Bitcoin Exchange Guide reports on Thursday (March 14), which will be represented in the Council by the firm’s Head of Trade and Supply Chain Alisa DiCaprio.
PYMNTS
MARCH 15, 2019
Some of the largest global financial institutions are taking steps further into Mexico’s small business lending and finance space, the result of heightened competitive pressure imposed by FinTechs and alternative lenders in the market, reports in the Wall Street Journal said Thursday (March 14). The publication pointed to Goldman Sachs as the latest FI giant to grow operations in Mexico, after it provided a $100 million credit facility to Credijusto, a FinTech startup that makes three-year
PYMNTS
MARCH 14, 2019
Paytm, the India-based eCommerce and digital wallet company, has announced a new mobile banking app called Payments Bank, according to reports. The app, available for download in the Google Play store and coming soon to iOS, will allow customers to check balances, request debit cards, pay with their phones and more. The company also said users can get customer support all day, seven days a week, via the app.
Speaker: Mark Gilham, FCCA, CPP
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.
PYMNTS
MARCH 14, 2019
The Dutch Data Protection Authority (DDPA) in the Netherlands has released its own General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) fining policy, according to reports , and is the first European Union (EU) country to do so. The GDPR stipulates that the maximum fine levied against a company can be 4 percent of its global revenue or €20 million, whichever is higher.
PYMNTS
MARCH 13, 2019
In eCommerce, friction is a four-letter word. However, friction done right — for the right consumer, for the right transaction, at just the right moment — can actually enhance the consumer experience. In other words, friction with a dash of intelligence mixed into the process can cut down on fraud, which helps, well, everybody in the commerce ecosystem — from consumers to issuers to merchants.
PYMNTS
MARCH 14, 2019
The movement to bring blockchain to cross-border payments proceeds apace. Might SWIFT be giving a nod, at least partially, toward the use of distributed ledger technology (DLT)? As noted by OracleTimes , it seems the messaging network that ties banks and other financial firms together may indeed be open to DLT — if not directly, then deployed by some of its network.
PYMNTS
MARCH 12, 2019
For proponents of open banking , the regulatory initiative seen in the U.K. and Europe is a natural progression from the surge in FinTech solutions offered to consumers, small businesses and enterprises. While policymakers target protection and customer ownership of data, one of the most prominent selling points for open banking is the ability for data to move seamlessly between once-siloed platforms.
Advertiser: Paycor
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.
PYMNTS
MARCH 12, 2019
To lift a few lines from T.S. Eliot, “between the idea and the reality … life is very long.” That sentiment is a good place to start when thinking about commerce, specifically omnichannel — an idea that has come, and perhaps keeps coming, and where the reality has yet to catch up to that promise. In an interview with PYMNTS, Vijay Sondhi, CEO of NMI , noted that the promise omnichannel had five or 10 years ago was vast, and held with it the idea that commerce, as an activity, would be seamless a
PYMNTS
MARCH 14, 2019
Financial institutions (FIs) must carefully balance staying compliant and keeping their customers safe, all without introducing frictions that could scare customers away. However, despite the friction points that can get introduced into the process due to anti-money laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) processes, FIs have no choice but to comply, or they risk fines and loss of customer trust.
PYMNTS
MARCH 12, 2019
Chipotle Mexican Grill has teamed up with Venmo to expand its loyalty program amid huge growth of its digital platform. The quick-service restaurant (QSR) has introduced the points-based program, called Chipotle Rewards, in select markets, CNBC reported. CEO Brian Niccol said the rewards program was what Chipotle customers had most requested, and that the company has recently been putting more energy into its digital offerings.
PYMNTS
MARCH 13, 2019
As the financial services space focuses on digitizing offerings for their small business customers, much of these efforts are targeting online banking portals accessed via desktop. But mobile devices are an increasingly important part of a small business’ financial management strategy, adding another channel on which banks and FinTechs must innovate to disrupt and improve SMB finances.
Speaker: Cheryl J. Muldrew-McMurtry
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.
PYMNTS
MARCH 15, 2019
Score one for the Midwest: Verizon said this week (March 13) it will launch its 5G network in Chicago and Minneapolis on April 11. The announcement from the mobile network provider serves as the latest demonstration that 5G is coming, and that retailers and payment services providers should get ready to operate in the 5G world. It’s probably too much to say that 2019 will be the year of 5G – deployments and use cases, especially in retail and payments, are unlikely to hit a critical mass this ye
PYMNTS
MARCH 15, 2019
Money laundering is a major threat in the United Kingdom , one some watchdogs say is not being taken seriously enough. As a major player in cross-border banking and global finance, the country doesn’t just need to combat domestic financial crimes: It is also at risk of becoming a hub for transmitting and investing criminal funds obtained overseas. .
PYMNTS
MARCH 14, 2019
Mastercard and B2B payment network Finexio are entering into a strategic partnership to strengthen their supplier payment offering. In a press release , Finexio said it will allow customers to pay their vendors using Mastercard-branded virtual cards, part of their broader effort of promoting digital B2B payments in the U.S. “The electronic payments space is growing at an accelerated rate; however, traditional paper checks remain the primary vehicle used for business payments,” said F
PYMNTS
MARCH 14, 2019
The release of a new Google app development tool is among the latest steps to try to bring more mobile accessibility to people with disabilities — a push that’s been going on in the background of digital retail and associated areas almost since the beginning. Here’s the news announced this week (March 13) by Google , via a blog post from Sid Janga of the company’s Central Accessibility Team: Google has launched an open source project called Accessibility Scanner for iOS.
Speaker: Frank Taliano
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.
PYMNTS
MARCH 11, 2019
CULedger , a credit union, has inked a partnership with IBM to create blockchain services geared toward credit unions. According to a report in Fintech Futures , the idea behind the project is to use permission-based blockchain technology so credit unions can reach more members that don’t have access to financial services. With a permissioned blockchain network , services can be shared between credit unions, which could improve identification authentication and compliance surrounding regul
PYMNTS
MARCH 13, 2019
A subway operator in Shenzhen, China is testing facial recognition software, powered by a 5G network, to pay for entry, according to reports. The face would be linked to a payment account, although whether the technology will work for similar faces or twins is not known. Right now the experiment is being limited to one station, and people will be able to scan faces at the same place they enter subway cards or tap their phones.
PYMNTS
MARCH 13, 2019
Let’s a take a moment to celebrate the paper boys and girls who — showing early commitment to initiative, hard work and entrepreneurship — handled a task that now vexes so many consumers and B2B operations in the digital world. They managed subscription billing for multiple accounts in particular neighborhoods, as James Messer, CEO and founder of online billing platform Gotransverse , pointed out in a recent PYMNTS interview with Karen Webster.
PYMNTS
MARCH 12, 2019
Western Union (WU) is bridging small businesses (SMBs) and entrepreneurs in Puerto Rico to cross-border payment services, the financial institution (FI) said on Monday (March 11). In a press release , the company said its Western Union Business Solutions unit is collaborating with TuChequera.com in Puerto Rico, linking entrepreneurs on the island to cross-border payment services that support more than 130 currencies.
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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