December, 2020

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Bahamas Launches Digital Sand Dollar; Adds To Rise Of Central Bank Digital Currencies

PYMNTS

Facebook’s Libra might be fading a bit as a perceived threat to monetary systems that have been in place around the globe for centuries. But the race is still on for central banks to develop their own digital versions of fiat to take their place alongside bills and coins. To that end, the Bahamas may stand out as an epicenter of sorts for the rise of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs).

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Central Bank Of Russia: Electronic Money Could Render SWIFT Obsolete

PYMNTS

Digital currencies could render the SWIFT global payments network unnecessary, RT.com reported, citing the Central Bank of Russia (CBR). Olga Skorobogatova, first deputy governor of the CBR, said 30 countries are working on their own national digital currencies, some of which could launch in five to seven years. According to the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), as of July, some 36 central banks published studies on the concept of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) also known as a di

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CFPB: Santander Must Pay $4.75 Million For Credit Reporting Violations

PYMNTS

Santander Consumer USA was ordered to pay $4.7 million to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( CFPB ) for violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the CFPB said in a press release. According to the release, Santander allegedly knew that it provided incorrect consumer data to the three major credit reporting agencies (CRAs). Santander is an originator and servicer of non-prime auto loans and leases and provides credit information to CRAs via monthly data files, according to the CFPB

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Financing Gets Flexible As eCommerce Sellers Brace For Seasonality Whiplash

PYMNTS

With the holiday shopping season in full swing amid the global pandemic, online commerce is booming. Digital Black Friday sales this year hit $9 billion, a 22 percent increase from 2019 figures, according to recent Adobe research. And the surge in eCommerce isn't isolated to the B2C world, either: as social distancing requirements and shutdowns migrate corporate buyers online, wholesalers, distributors and other B2B vendors are likely to face a similar holiday boon this year to fulfill rising cu

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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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US Treasury Proposes Sweeping New Disclosure Rules On Bitcoin, Other Cryptos 

PYMNTS

The U.S. Treasury Department proposed sweeping new rules late Friday (Dec. 18) that the government says would make convertible digital currencies like bitcoin less attractive to criminals engaging in crimes such as ransomware attacks. The new regulations, if adopted after a comment period, would require banks and some other institutions to obtain and report the identities of parties engaging in certain digital transactions, including payments involving what are called "unhosted wallets" – effect

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Square Said To Mull Buy of Jay-Z’s TIDAL Music-Streaming Service

PYMNTS

The highly competitive streaming-audio industry could be starting the New Year with some consolidation, a new report suggests. Jack Dorsey — the billionaire CEO of Square and Twitter — is said to be interested in buying TIDAL , the audio service owned by billionaire music legend Jay-Z. Unnamed sources told Bloomberg that the outspoken Dorsey has been seen with Jay-Z and his singer-wife Beyonce recently, and is reportedly interested in adding a music feature to payment platform Square’s growin

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eBay On Turning Friction-Filled Payments Experiences Into Consumer Loyalty Opportunities

PYMNTS

The 2020 holiday shopping season is picking up, and consumers are heading online or to reopened brick-and-mortar stores to shop and pay for gifts. They are using everything from cash to mobile wallets to complete these transactions, requiring retailers to race to accommodate a wide variety of payment methods. Supporting a host of simple and frictionless payment options is often a complicated endeavor from the retailer’s perspective, said Keala Gaines , vice president of global payment services f

eCommerce 139
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Bitcoin Breaks Through $20,000 Mark, Hits Record Highs

PYMNTS

Bitcoin continued its ongoing surge in price Wednesday (Dec. 16), heading above the $20,000 mark for the first time ever — eclipsing its previous record high set in 2017. The price of a bitcoin traded higher by 5.6 percent, hitting around $20,600. CNBC reported that the surge was fueled by cryptocurrency fans along with a big boost from big-name investors such as Paul Tudor Jones and Stanley Druckenmiller.

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Highs And Lows Of 2020 Could Be 2021’s Dress Rehearsal For Bitcoin And Cryptos

PYMNTS

This year is one for the history books for all sorts of reasons, not all of them bad. For cryptocurrencies, 2020 shaped up to be a banner year. And as we start the clock on 2021, a number of people, places and trends bear watching because, after all, it’s not as if everything stops on Dec. 31. First things first, as they say. The wild price swings in this space are only part of the story, but they do indeed form a large part of the narrative we’ll see moving forward.

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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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GoDaddy Agrees To Buy Poynt To Boost Digital Payments Technology

PYMNTS

GoDaddy has agreed to acquire Poynt , which lets businesses sell and accept payments anywhere through its suite of products, according to a press release. GoDaddy plans to pay $320 million in cash at closing, along with $45 million in deferred cash payments subject to various performance and employment standards in the next three years, the release stated.

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POS Lender Affirm Delays IPO Until At Least January

PYMNTS

Point-of-sale (POS) lender Affirm is putting on hold its initial public offering (IPO), which had been scheduled for this month, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed sources. WSJ did not give a definitive reason for the delay in Affirm Holding Inc.'s plans but suggested it may be for the same reason video game-maker Roblox also put off an imminent IPO: fear of missing out at the corporate level.

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Report: Fraudsters Have Modified Approaches In Wake Of eCommerce Boom

PYMNTS

Digital trust-and-safety company Sift said that 2020 has been a “banner year” for online shopping sales, but that scammers have modified their approaches to take advantage of the boom, according to an announcement. The company said that malicious actors are moving away from the usual “spray and pray” strategy that entails conducting dozens or hundreds of lower-value transactions with stolen payment data, and are instead making fewer and larger attacks.

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Form3 Partners With Mastercard To Advance Real-Time Payments 

PYMNTS

London cloud-processing platform Form3 is partnering with Mastercard to enhance and streamline real-time payments worldwide. “Our partnership with Mastercard will enable Form3 to accelerate its ambitions to grow on an international scale while complementing the services we have today and those we are building for the future,” Michael Mueller , founder and chief executive officer of Form3, said in a press release on Wednesday (Dec. 16).

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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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Apple Aims At Debuting Car In 2024

PYMNTS

Apple is advancing its self-driving car project, according to a Reuters report, and will look at debuting a new product by 2024 that could also come with new battery technology. Project Titan, the Apple automotive effort, has been working on a self-driving vehicle sporadically since 2014, working from scratch. Apple hasn't always kept up with it, sometimes drawing back to focus more on the software the company is known for, Reuters reported.

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’Twas The Night Before COVID Christmas

PYMNTS

’Twas Christmas with COVID, We were all stuck at home. Can’t go out, it’s not safe, We’re advised not to roam. The holiday Zoom calls have been scheduled with care, To talk to the relatives who cannot be there. . The children are nestled asleep in their beds, As visions of PS5s dance in their heads. Ma on her mobile and me on the tablet, Spent Christmas Eve cementing our new digital-first habits. .

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Grocers Rush To Reinvent Themselves

PYMNTS

Although the digital shift brought on by the pandemic has rapidly reshaped the entire retail industry, its impact on the grocery segment in particular has been especially pronounced. In fact, according to a new Omnichannel Grocery Report from ACI Worldwide and PYMNTS, 17.2 percent of all consumers have switched from in-store to online shopping. Ordering for home delivery has become particularly popular, as 23 percent of U.S. consumers — 57 million people — say they are ordering more groceries on

eCommerce 132
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Amazon Puts Off Merchant Fulfillment Fee Hikes Until June

PYMNTS

Amazon is postponing its logistics fee increase to help accommodate businesses affected by the pandemic, a company letter from Amazon Worldwide Consumer CEO Jeff Wilke stated. Wilke wrote that the eCommerce giant will continue to take on the extra costs without increasing fees until June 1, 2021. "We are doing this because we want to provide stability and support for you during what will likely remain a challenging winter as vaccine distribution gets underway," Wilke said in the letter.

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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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‘Ship-ageddon 2020’ Just Keeps Getting Worse

PYMNTS

With eCommerce volume way up for the holiday shopping season, we knew it was going to be a tricky year for gift shipping. The reports of potential delays and earlier-than-average shipping windows for Christmas delivery rolled in right on time in early December. UPS imposed shipping restrictions on some large retailers such as Gap, Nike, L.L. Bean Inc., Hot Topic Inc., Newegg Inc. and Macy’s as the shipping giant struggled with unprecedented demand from the pandemic-driven eCommerce surge.

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Amazon Delivers Record-Breaking 1.5 Billion Holiday 2020 Packages

PYMNTS

Amazon is reporting a record-breaking holiday shopping season that saw more than 1.5 billion toys, electronics and household goods delivered amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. “Amazonians around the world have truly shown what it means to be customer-centric and support our communities this year,” Jeff Wilke , CEO of worldwide consumer at Amazon, said in a press release on Tuesday (Dec. 29). .

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First Court Date Set For SEC Lawsuit Against Ripple

PYMNTS

A lawsuit filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) against digital payments firm Ripple is heading to virtual court on Feb. 22, according to legal documents filed in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York. Legal counsel for those named in the suit — Ripple Labs, CEO Bradley Garlinghouse and Executive Chairman and Co-founder Christian Larsen — were called to appear in an online pretrial conference with Judge Analisa Torres. .

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Afterpay US CEO: Buy Now, Pay Later Is In Right Place, Right Time

PYMNTS

For a 6-year-old Australian startup that’s only been doing business in the U.S. for two years, Afterpay — with its buy now, pay later (BNPL) interest-free installment loans — has gone from relative obscurity to the front page of the financial section this holiday season. Although the installment concept is hardly new, Afterpay’s platform and growing catalog of retailers has brought fame and fortune to the company and its founders.

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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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FinTech Step Aims To Create The Concept Of ‘Family Banking’

PYMNTS

We’ve all heard the horror stories. The 6-year-old who get his hands on Mom’s iPad and manages to rack up $16,000 worth of credit charges for online gaming. The teenager with a Fortnite habit who manages to clean out Dad’s checking account via the debit card linked to the gaming account. These aren’t bad kids necessarily so much as they’re kids that simply don’t know the damage they’re doing at the time.

Banking 128
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eCommerce FinTech Katapult To Go Public By Merging With SPAC

PYMNTS

Katapult Holding, Inc. and special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) FinServ Acquisition Corp. said on Friday (Dec. 18) that they have entered into a definitive merger deal. The arrangement will create a combined firm that will run as Katapult and is intended to trade on the Nasdaq with the “KPLT” ticker symbol upon closing, according to an announcement.

eCommerce 128
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FinCEN Issues Warning About COVID-19 Vaccine Scams, Cyberattacks

PYMNTS

As the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine continues to roll out to medical workers and high-risk populations, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is asking financial institutions to be extra vigilant when it comes to cybersecurity. . “Already, fraudsters have offered, for a fee, to provide potential victims with the vaccine sooner than permitted under the applicable vaccine distribution plan,” FinCEN said in a statement on Monday (Dec. 28).

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Burger King To Give Some Venmo Users $1 To Promote New Dollar Menu

PYMNTS

Burger King has launched a new promotion called the "$1 Your Way Menu" and in conjunction will put $1 in some Venmo users' accounts through Dec. 28, the day the new menu takes effect, the company announced in a press release. "Unlike other value menus, all items on Burger King’s newly unveiled menu are $1 a piece — that’s it,” the release stated. “The big question now becomes, what to get?”.

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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.

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China's Digital Yuan Trial Sees Spending For Retail, Ridesharing And More

PYMNTS

The second trial of digital yuan by the People's Bank of China has concluded, resulting in hundreds of thousands spent on eCommerce retail, food delivery and ride-sharing, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports. The trial began earlier in the month as authorities handed out 20 million digital yuan, or $3.1 million, to local residents of Suzhou from a lottery.

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Control Vs. Convenience Shapes Debate As FIs Adopt Faster Payments

PYMNTS

The benefits of instant payment services are gaining attention from companies that want to be able to transact with better visibility and cash flow information. Enabling rapid-fire transactions to become the norm requires a critical mass of banks and credit unions (CUs) adopting these rails, however. Corporate buyers that bank with financial institutions (FIs) that do offer real-time payments will otherwise be left guessing as to which vendors have FIs that permit them to accept the funds.

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ChowNow: AI Helps Independent Restaurants Fight The Growing Threat of Digital Fraud

PYMNTS

More than 100,000 eateries — or about one in six restaurants nationwide — have closed due to the pandemic, according to National Restaurant Association estimates. The industry as a whole lost $165 billion in revenue between March and July, and it is on track to lose $240 billion by 2021 — with the decline expected to continue until the pandemic abates.