PYMNTS
MAY 4, 2017
With so many consortia and internal development teams in play, it’s difficult to assess global banks’ progress on blockchain. But analysts assure progress is being made. Last year, IBM released surveys of 400 financial institutions across the globe to examine exactly how they’re positioned in their journey to develop and release real-world, working blockchain tools.
Katz,Sapper&Miller
MAY 1, 2017
James Carville famously advised during the 1992 presidential election: “It’s the economy, stupid.” This adage proves to be sound political advice 25 years later, as the state budget approved in the closing wee hours of the 2017 General Assembly had a decidedly economic bent to it.
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PYMNTS
MAY 4, 2017
The problem with EMV for most consumers and merchants comes down to speed, Visa and Index have learned. The change in hand motion didn’t really throw most customers off that much. Moving from a swipe to dip didn’t turn out to be so very fundamentally different from each other – and consumers learned to deal. Waiting, on the other hand – that quickly turned into a problem for both sides of the transaction.
PYMNTS
MAY 2, 2017
Credit card fraud is a fact that will likely continue to plague retailers for the foreseeable future. It’s on the rise in the eCommerce arena, according to data released from omnichannel commerce technology and operations company Radial’s eCommerce Fraud Technology Lab. In Q1 of this year, there was a 200 percent increase in credit card testing, up from 2016.
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
MAY 2, 2017
On Monday, and for the first time ever, bitcoin was worth over $1,400. While the day’s high was $1,422.22 according to CoinDesk , trading at the time of writing was closer $1,413, up 4.88 percent for the day, up 42 percent from the start of 2017 and up a whopping 215 percent from this time last year. If there’s any probable cause for the rise, it’s likely that the SEC recently announced plans to review l ast month’s rejection of the proposed Winklevoss Bitcoin ETF.
PYMNTS
MAY 1, 2017
It’s been more than a year since Bangladesh’s central bank was attacked by cybercriminals that took away $81 million by infiltrating the bank’s connection to the SWIFT network. Since then, there have been revelations about similar attacks at FIs across the globe, and the blame game began, with some fingers pointing to the bank’s own employees , North Korea and SWIFT itself.
Accountant Advocate brings together the best content for small business accounting professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
PYMNTS
MAY 3, 2017
Apple and its Apple Watch may have a problem on its hands as companies that made apps dedicated exclusively for the Apple Watch are giving up on the platform. According to a report , the companies have been quietly removing support for the watch in updates that they provide to the App Store. The report noted that over the past few weeks, Google Maps’ latest update to its iOS app removed support for the Apple Watch.
PYMNTS
MAY 5, 2017
Don’t let the seemingly low value of $42 million raised this week by B2B venture capital firms fool you: VC activity in the space was strong, hitting key verticals like cross-border payments and SaaS. Investors went global, too, reaching out to Australian, Chinese, U.S. and Indian firms — with future plans for more funding. Find out who’s planning ahead in our breakdown of B2B venture capital from the week below.
PYMNTS
MAY 5, 2017
The United Kingdom’s Payments Systems Regulator (PSR), along with the Bank of England, said Thursday that they’d agreed to a framework that would govern consolidation of the Cheque and Credit Clearing Company and the Faster Payments Scheme and Bacs. Reuters stated that the U.K.’s “multi-trillion pound system for shuffling payments” and checks will get a makeover, with an eye on letting new entrants into the market.
PYMNTS
MAY 2, 2017
A business run by self-proclaimed nuns is making a living by selling “healing” pot online. Christine Meeusen, who goes by the name Sister Kate, is the founder of a medical cannabis company, which she operates out of her home in California’s Central Valley, according to Business Insider. Sister Kate’s goal is to erase the negative stigma around cannabis, as well as create jobs for women who believe in its healing powers.
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
MAY 1, 2017
Carvana Co., a leading eCommerce platform for buying used cars, saw its shares fall 16 percent on the first day of its initial public offering (IPO). According to Barron’s , the stock was down $2.33, or almost 16 percent, at $12.67, below its IPO price of $15. Founded in 2012, the Phoenix-based company sells cars through its website and operates automated towers that store cars in U.S. cities, such as Austin and Dallas in Texas and Nashville, Tennessee.
PYMNTS
MAY 3, 2017
A new online marketplace, iVANZi.com, operated by Retail Linx, is already expanding into new territory. The company announced Tuesday (May 2) that it will launch a wholesale marketplace for B2B buyers and suppliers with multiple payment options designed for the wholesale space. IVANZi verifies both buyers and suppliers on the platform and enables suppliers to upload their inventory for pre-approved wholesale buyers.
PYMNTS
MAY 3, 2017
Salesforce is getting serious about helping startups that can help it — and is putting $100 million worth of money where its mouth is. Salesforce Ventures — the investment arm of the business — has launched a Salesforce Platform Fund to support early-stage companies. The goal of the new investment is “building an ecosystem of partners around us,” according to John Somorjai, executive vice president of corporate development and Salesforce Ventures.
PYMNTS
MAY 2, 2017
Over the past few months, we’ve seen several chatbot developments. Of particular note, many companies have partnered up with Facebook’s Messenger app to help streamline customer service and introduce new commerce offerings. The issue that arises is how chatbot integration into consumers’ everyday lives will impact the future of how businesses operate.
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
MAY 3, 2017
Ever since Facebook made its big bot announcement in 2016, conversational AI (or chatbots) are all of a sudden everywhere — along with their promise to enable a smoother and more conversational way for a consumer to interact with a business. Emphasis on the word “promise.”. But as most consumers who’ve had a bot experience in the last year can attest, the real-world experience doesn’t always, or even often, live up to that promise.
PYMNTS
MAY 5, 2017
With collective income slated to hit $680 billion this year, gig economy workers are a rising economic force — and one that is changing face. Traditionally, gig workers have been viewed as unskilled professionals that fall to part-time work because they can’t get full-time jobs. But Michael Ting, SVP, Digital Markets at Hyperwallet , explored with PYMNTS’ Karen Webster the evolving identity of the on-demand workforce, and how technology contributes to that change.
PYMNTS
MAY 5, 2017
Wells Fargo Chief Executive Tim Sloan denied the company had specifically targeted undocumented workers during the years workers were creating fake customer accounts , but according to a former Wells Fargo employee, Yesenia Guitron, that is exactly what Wells Fargo did. According to a report in American Banker , Guitron, who worked for Wells Fargo in St.
PYMNTS
MAY 1, 2017
It doesn’t matter where or who you are. Phishing attacks can happen to even the most vigilant among us. This point was driven home recently after it came to light that Facebook and Google found themselves out $100 million at the hands of one ambitious cybercrook. At the end of March , the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) announced plans to charge a man allegedly responsible for an $100 million business email compromise scam.
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
MAY 4, 2017
Payments are an essential element in any business, regardless of size, industry or vertical. Likewise, providing payment capabilities is essential for the software-as-a-service (SaaS) providers, platform businesses and ISVs that enable core business functions. Historically, businesses had two options: Go the payments route alone or outsource the functionality to a third-party payment company.
PYMNTS
MAY 2, 2017
Now that the ink has dried on the paper, Mastercard’s acquisition of Vocalink is now official, as announced today on Mastercard’s Q1 earnings release. In the digital world, with consumers increasingly turning online to make every day purchases or using mobile apps to do the same in physical stores, speed, efficiency and customer choice is essential.
PYMNTS
MAY 2, 2017
For small businesses, expansion is key, and expansion needs capital. For small business lenders and for FinTech too, expansion is key; but for Biz2Credit, expansion is literal. In a partnership formed recently with Puerto Rico’s Oriental Bank, Biz2Credit said late last month that it has begun offering its digital lending platform to the bank’s commercial clients.
PYMNTS
MAY 5, 2017
Sometimes it pays to be volatile — but there’s always the nagging risk of losing it all. Bitcoin’s value keeps breaking through ceilings again and again. What looks like a record high one day is left in the dust the next. It seems blowing past $1,400 at the start of this week wasn’t enough for the digital currency. Wednesday night into Thursday morning, trading saw bitcoin fly by another milestone: $1,500.
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
MAY 2, 2017
Gig, a car sharing app created by AAA, the emergency roadside assistance service, is live in California’s Bay Area as of Monday (May 1). According to a report in TechCrunch , Gig comes out of A3 Ventures, AAA’s venture capital unit with the car sharing service which takes users one way and is now open in Oakland and Berkley. Gig takes a page from Enterprise’s CarShare or Zipcar , but what makes Gig different is that users don’t have to return the car to a specific location.
PYMNTS
MAY 1, 2017
Deutsche Post DHL, the German logistics company, is being tapped by Amazon to deliver groceries in Germany for AmazonFresh. According to a report in Reuters , citing comments Deutsche Post Chief Executive Frank Appel made at the company’s general meeting, Deutsche Post is aiming to be the service provider for online grocery sales. The deal, noted Reuters, is expected to alleviate concerns that Amazon’s own delivery services are a growing threat to Deutsche Post.
PYMNTS
MAY 5, 2017
The service supply chain, also referred to as the post-sale or after-sale supply chain, is rife with potential to be enabled by digital transformation. A quick primer on the space. Working in the service supply chain means planning and managing a range of activities after the sale of goods or services — from asset management, support functions and repairs to the delivery of end-user services.
PYMNTS
MAY 4, 2017
Sabre Corp. confirmed Tuesday that it has seen a breach in it hospitality units hotel reservation system and that FireEye’s Mandiant forensics division has been retained to investigate just how that breach happened. “The unauthorized access has been shut off and there is no evidence of continued unauthorized activity,” Sabre noted in a release.
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
MAY 5, 2017
When it comes to accessing their money, today’s consumer wants it now, with the push of a button. As they grow bolder with this demand, consumer requirements for speed, simplicity and choice in how they get paid could soon make push payments technology a corporate standard. Several players in the payments space have recognized this urgent need for choice and speed and are stepping up to help companies offer this capability.
PYMNTS
MAY 5, 2017
It’s been a big week in the broader cybersecurity realm, starting with a data breach of Sabre Corporation’s hospitality unit. In the travel technology company’s Q1 earnings filing , Sabre wrote that they are “investigating an incident involving unauthorized access to payment information contained in a subset of hotel reservations processed through the Sabre Hospitality Solutions SynXis Central Reservation system.”.
PYMNTS
MAY 3, 2017
NACHA may have assured some banks that Same Day ACH hasn’t led to an increase in payments fraud, but concerns remain widespread about how the initiative and other faster payments efforts will reduce the window of opportunity for FIs to detect and prevent an incident. According to NICE Actimize , a provider of security software for financial institutions, there are technologies that should be in place not only to combat fraud, but also for banks to stay on top of the constantly changing patterns
PYMNTS
MAY 3, 2017
As TechCrunch put it in its Tuesday (May 2) report, expense management for the self-employed “sucks.”. A new tool from QuickBooks Self-Employed is hoping machine learning technology can help with that. According to reports, the Intuit company is rolling out new expense management and invoicing features for independent contractors and freelancers. The publication said Intuit Senior Vice President and Chief Product Officer of Small Business Alex Chriss began exploring the issue around expense man
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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