February, 2020

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5G Network Rollout Delayed In China, Flights Canceled Due To Coronavirus

PYMNTS

The coronavirus has far-reaching impacts that extend beyond health, with a wide range of economic effects in sectors ranging from transportation to telecom and retail. We have the latest news on the economic impact of the coronavirus from airlines canceling flights to the delay of the rollout of next-generation 5G networks and merchants reopening stores in China.

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Largest U.S. Pizza Hut Franchisee Could Choose Bankruptcy

PYMNTS

The largest franchisee of U.S. pizza chain Pizza Hut is reportedly considering options in the wake of financial woes, including bankruptcy. The news, reported by Bloomberg on Wednesday (Feb. 19), said that NPC International, which owns around 1,200 Pizza Huts, is about $1 billion in debt. In lieu of that, the franchisee has begun negotiations with lenders.

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Google Quits Cookies As Data Privacy Regs Show Fangs

PYMNTS

Looks like the digital advertising and marketing sectors are in for a reckoning. How that will affect merchants’ online promotional activity hangs in the balance. That’s the scoop as 2020 opens, with privacy skirmishes turning to full-scale war on browser cookies. As we know, mostly anonymous corporations have been collecting consumer data online for years, usually without explicit permission, selling it or using it for ad retargeting and personalization.

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Mastercard: Collaboration Is Key To Scaling Real-Time Payments

PYMNTS

With speed being the most obvious value proposition of real-time payments capabilities, it’s not difficult to imagine that corporate payers would be eager to embrace faster payments functionality in their accounts payable (AP) departments. And for many firms, that’s exactly what they’re beginning to do. PYMNTS’ recent Making Real-Time Payments a Reality: Rising Demand for Real-Time Payments report, a collaboration with Mastercard, found that two-thirds of corporate surv

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How to Build the Ideal HR Team

HR doesn’t exist in a vacuum. This work impacts everyone: from the C-Suite to your newest hire. It also drives results. Learn how to make it all happen in Paycor’s latest guide.

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Mastercard: Online Platforms – And Data – Help Cities Tackle Urban Challenges

PYMNTS

Bright lights, big (and small) cities and Big Data. In the drive to modernize, scale and handle burgeoning populations, cities are harnessing the power of data collection and analytics to improve infrastructure and services. As Mastercard Executive Vice President of Enterprise Partnerships and Head of Global Cities Miguel Gamiño told Karen Webster, it’s an endeavor that demands a long-term view and collaboration.

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Mastercard’s Incoming CEO’s Take On The Future Of Payments

PYMNTS

A big change is coming to Mastercard , which will soon be marking the end of an era as its longtime CEO Ajay Banga departs from the role of CEO and moves on to the role of Executive Chairman, a position now held by Richard Haythornthwaite, on Jan. 1, 2021. Haythornthwaite has served as chairman since May 2006 and Banga has served as CEO since 2008 — when he took over the helm shortly after the onset of the financial crisis.

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WhatsApp Pay Gets Approval For Phased India Rollout

PYMNTS

Almost two years after its experimental run, the Facebook-owned messaging service WhatsApp has received regulatory approval for its WhatsApp Pay platform in India. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) provided the firm with permission to put WhatsApp Pay into operation in a phased manner, The Business Standard reported. . The NPCI’s green light comes after approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

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Sweden’s Central Bank Floats E-Krona As Digital Currency

PYMNTS

Sweden’s Riksbank is assessing e-krona, a new form of digital currency that hopes to take the country a step closer to the creation of the world’s first central bank digital currency (CBDC), according to reports on Thursday (Feb. 20). The e-krona could eventually be used for banking functions — payments, deposits, withdrawals — from a digital wallet, Riksbank said.

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SWIFT: The Road To ISO 20022 Adoption

PYMNTS

PYMNTS recently spoke with Saqib Sheikh, global head of SWIFT’s ISO 20022 program, to learn more about SWIFT’s commitment to assist the financial community in the transition to the new standard in cross-border payments: ISO 20022. Cross-border payments are a fragmented space with disparate standards, service levels, and compliance and reporting regulations varying from country to country.

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Planning Your Restaurant's 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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Future Tech Comes To eCommerce

PYMNTS

Future tech is no longer the province of high-end retailers. Innovations in 3D and augmented reality (AR) eCommerce are leveling the playing field and bringing conversion-centered visual technology to any online retailer. “There have been amazing shifts in the ecosystem and demand is rising for 3D and AR tools that will help connect consumers with the right products and eliminate uncertainty in the buying journey,” said Ashley Crowder, CEO and co-founder of VNTANA , whose company introduced new

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JPMorgan Chase To Open UK Digital Bank By Year’s End

PYMNTS

JPMorgan Chase is taking steps to open a digital bank in the U.K. by the end of the year. The banking firm has been talking with London regulators about the idea, according to The Financial Times on Saturday (Feb. 22). The operation will likely include savings and lending products, and it comes just two years after U.S. bank Goldman Sachs launched a digital bank called Marcus in the U.K.

Banking 102
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The Big Spike In ‘CEO Fraud’

PYMNTS

According to the 2019 edition of the FBI’s Internet Crime Report , last year was both a lucrative and diverse year for cybercriminals and scammers. All in, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received a total of 467,361 complaints, with reported losses exceeding $3.5 billion. As for the scams themselves, those varied widely both in terms of tactics and targets.

Invoicing 101
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How Cisco Is Building The Smart Cities Of The Future

PYMNTS

IoT technology has rapidly expanded beyond in-home devices into cities worldwide. Governments and institutions in Europe, India and the United States are experimenting with IoT solutions to enhance city life, and the technology is expected to create between $4 trillion to $11 trillion in value over the next several years. Municipalities could utilize it for everything from street light control and air quality monitoring to transportation safety.

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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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Uber Co-Founder Kalanick Supports Expansion Of 3D-printed Hotel

PYMNTS

Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick is joining other investors in funding the expansion of the 3D-printed hotel concept Habitas , the Financial Times reported on Sunday (Feb. 9). An idea hatched at the Burning Man desert arts festival, the experience-focused hospitality group Habitas was founded in 2014 by Oliver Ripley, Kfir Levy and Eduardo Castillo. .

Startups 101
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Central Bankers Set April Meeting To Talk Digital Money

PYMNTS

Central bank leaders from six countries and the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) have planned an April meeting to discuss digital currencies and the parameters involved for launching their own, the Nikkei Asian Review reported on Thursday (Feb. 6). In January, the central banks of the U.K., Switzerland, Sweden, Canada and Japan, as well as the European Central Bank (ECB), partnered with the BIS to collaborate on the development of central bank digital currencies (CBDC).

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Wells Fargo Invests $5M In Blockchain Analysis Startup Elliptic

PYMNTS

Wells Fargo Strategic Capital (WFSC) is backing the London-based blockchain analysis firm Elliptic with a $5 million investment, bringing the startup’s Series B round to $28 million, Elliptic announced in a press release on Thursday (Feb. 13). . WFSC joins existing investors SBI Group and Santander InnoVentures. The funding will enable Elliptic to expand across Asia and collaborate with financial institutions for an increased understanding of the cryptocurrency ecosystem.

Startups 100
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MoneyGram, Brink’s And The (Possible) Cross-Pollination Of X-Border

PYMNTS

Cross-pollination in financial services — leveraging payments across digital and physical channels — is an emerging trend, especially when it comes to cross-border transactions, and especially with remittances. To that end, MoneyGram has received a $9 million investment from The Brink’s Company, which in turn becomes a significant owner with a roughly 5 percent stake in MoneyGram.

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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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FinCEN Announces New Digital Innovation Officer/Deputy Director

PYMNTS

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has announced Michael Mosier as its new digital innovation officer and deputy director. Mosier succeeds Jamal El-Hindi, who will serve as the interim chief data officer (CDO) for the Department of the Treasury. In that role, El-Hindi will apply his FinCEN experience to “help lead the vision, design and development of the Treasury’s agency-wide data and information management strategies,” per an announcement.

Treasury 100
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US Lawmakers Explore How Blockchain Can Help SMBs

PYMNTS

To explore the positive impacts of blockchain on small businesses, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Small Business plans to hold a hearing next week. Witnesses scheduled to appear include PopCom CEO Dawn Dickson and Ownum CEO Shane Bigelow, as well as Jim Harper, a visiting fellow for the American Enterprise Institute, and Marvin Ammori, general counsel for Protocol Labs, Yahoo!

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Cisco On The Future Of Safe And Smart Cities

PYMNTS

With some analysts projecting a trillion IoT-enabled devices to be in use around the world by 2035, defending the IoT ecosystem is becoming more crucial as emerging technologies spread across business sectors and spark the development of smarter cities, homes and automobiles. In the February Intelligence of Things Tracker , PYMNTS examines how connecting devices can promote efficiency, optimized operations and streamlined organizational structures — but doing so can also create favorable data br

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PayPal And FIS Team On Loyalty Points Redemption

PYMNTS

FIS and PayPal have expanded their partnership so that cardholders of institutions participating in the FIS Premium Payback network can use their rewards points to pay for things at PayPal merchants all around the world, according to a press release. . This new integration means that FIS is the first non-bank payment processor to sync up with PayPal’s Pay with Rewards.

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Accounting Software and ERP Readiness Guide

In this white paper, we explore the factors to consider in deciding whether the time is right for your Company to consider a new ERP or accounting software, the total cost of ownership and plans necessary to make the potential leap to these systems.

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How Dynamic Supply Chain Analytics Smooths Cash Flow

PYMNTS

Supply chain management has always presented a challenge for global corporates, with digitization and automation technology aiming to reduce friction and enhance visibility. A surge in supply chain technology available — from freight management portals to IoT sensors — also expands a value-add opportunity for corporate end users: All this digitization generates a flood of potentially valuable data that organizations can use to optimize their supply chains, as well as better meet the needs and ex

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Fiat Chrysler To Debut Robot Taxis In China

PYMNTS

Fiat Chrysler , in partnership with Chinese-based AutoX , wants to launch robo-taxis in China later this year, according to an announcement. The automobile maker, one of the “Big Three” in Detroit, has been casting a wide net for autonomous vehicle tech, and wants to keep pace with rivals in Detroit. Hong Kong’s AutoX said it plans to integrate self-driving vehicle tech into a fleet of Chrysler Pacifica minivans — the same vehicle that Waymo , Alphabet’s subsidiary known

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Blockchain-Powered B2B FinTech Roars Back With VCs

PYMNTS

It’s been several months, if not years, since blockchain was the darling of tech startup investors, but this week proved the technology still has a lot to offer venture capitalists. In PYMNTS’ latest B2B venture capital roundup, which yielded $75 million in new funding, startups embraced distributed ledger technology for B2B payments and supply chain management, with 80 percent of total funding landing at blockchain companies.

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Is No-Factor Authentication Digital Security’s Future?

PYMNTS

For a great example of an attempt at security that does much more to annoy legitimate consumers than to actually fend off fraudsters, look no further than CAPTCHA. Though not quite as ubiquitous as it was a few years ago, the challenge-based verification tool asks users to prove their non-bot status by identifying every photograph with a crosswalk, or pinpointing a number drawn crudely in crayon, or completing any number of familiar visual puzzles that are theoretically easy for a human to solve

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PowerPoint Best Practices for Creating Stellar Presentations

Mastering data visualization in PowerPoint will help accelerate your career because it positions you as someone who can present data that drives business decisions forward. think-cell's PowerPoint Best Practices eBook was created specifically for professionals aiming to master the art and science of data-driven storytelling. What’s inside: Practical Insights: Uncover valuable tips for crafting engaging and persuasive presentations.