February, 2016

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The Dating Game Of Small Business M&A

PYMNTS

Entrepreneurialism is often about self-teaching. Business owners may be experts in their particular industries, but that doesn’t mean they’re always familiar with some of the back-end processes of running a company, like cash management and investing. When launching a small business culminates in an entrepreneur ready to sell, this lack of financial literacy can spell problems.

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Why CFOs Must Learn to Embrace Integrated Financial Planning Now

Planful

CFOs need to embrace integrated financial planning, while leveraging emerging technologies into the planning process. With the help of technology, businesses can speed up the budgeting cycle, free up resources, create up-to-date forecasts, and reduce the potential for error. Keeping Up with Growing Data. Businesses need to adapt to new technologies in order to enhance efficiency.

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For FIs, Finance Made Easier with a NYMBUS Cloud

PYMNTS

Cloud computing, say its proponents, has several advantages over hardware-based systems. Flexibility of the technology is one selling point; updates can be managed remotely and instantly, information can be shared over multiple locations in real time and costs are lower. To that end, NYMBUS, a core banking software company based in Florida, has partnered with Geezeo, a white-label personal finance management solutions provider that caters to banks and credit unions.

Finance 43
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How Social Media Made Retail Marketing More Inclusive

PYMNTS

Generally speaking, it is hard to think of social media as something that is making the world a more inclusive place – given its occasional status as a toxic swamp of intolerance and cruelty. But social media has the ability to give more than men’s rights activists, bigots, misanthropes, political extremists and conspiracy theorists a venue to spout their more interesting ideas about the world and how it works.

Retail 42
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Live Demo - Supercharge your Month End Close

Automation generally supercharges any process and brings its value to the forefront. See how infusing automation such as ART (our month-end close solution), into your close can get you to the next level of closing. We will share a live demo of SkyStem's solution, ART and share the key elements of month-end close automation. Through ART, we'll take a look at: What month-end close automation entails Which process steps can and should be automated Benefits of achieving process automation, and Why i

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Lendio’s Marketplace Posts 1,175 Percent Growth

PYMNTS

In a sign that small business lending may be well on its way to moving beyond the traditional conduits of big banks and other larger financial players, online platform Lendio, which helps smaller companies find access to capital, reported heady growth for 2015. The company said Wednesday (Feb. 24) that its revenues were up more than 100 percent year over year, with one figure posting growth of more than 1,000 percent — 1,175 percent to be exact — as the company facilitated more than $128 million

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EMV’s Slow Crawl Into Retail

PYMNTS

Last year, starting in about August, the big EMV countdown was underway — though the question as to whether they were going to “make it” was already answered. They weren’t. As of the liability shift on Oct. 1, around half of “big retailers” had EMV while smaller retailers were clocking in at 10 percent to 33 percent, depending on whose count one liked.

Retail 41
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Snapchat Scammed Out Of Employee Data In A Phishing Expedition

PYMNTS

It looks like Snapchat has been scammed by an enterprising phisherman who managed to collect personal data on about 700 employees of the social media service. According to reports that appeared overnight in Los Angeles Times , a payroll department employee accidentally emailed the personal information of about 700 employees (current and past) to someone masquerading as Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel.

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Alibaba Reportedly After $4B Bank Loan

PYMNTS

Alibaba is reportedly after a $4 billion loan from banks as it seeks backing for its expansion plans, according to unnamed sources who spoke to The Wall Street Journal. The news hints at what’s next for the Internet giant, which could include further acquisitions that Alibaba may want to get its hands into, the sources said. This follows Alibaba’s recent surge of spending — somewhere in the billions — on major expansion/acquisition plans in its home country of China — and abroad.

Banking 41
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Stitch Fix Adds Men’s Styling For Unisex Appeal, Business

PYMNTS

Who has more difficulty finding clothes they like: women or men? Stitch Fix, the once-female-only styling service and apparel retailer, has changed its answer from the former to “both.” In an interview with Re/code , Stitch Fix Founder and CEO Katrina Lake explained that the San Francisco-based startup will be adding lines of men’s clothing products and male fashion stylists to help match the right pieces to the right customers.

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Mid-Year Review: How to Ignite Employee Potential Through Meaningful Feedback

Mid-year performance reviews aren’t just boxes for HR to check. Paycor’s toolkit empowers leaders to: Identify high-potential team members. Boost engagement with meaningful feedback. Support struggling employees. Nurture top talent to drive results. Learn how to ignite employee potential through meaningful feedback. When you nurture top talent, everybody wins.

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Will VR Save Retail?

PYMNTS

With a unique customer experience becoming ever more important in retail, virtual reality could play a significant part in those efforts. That’s the case made in a recent story from Forbes , which examines the growing trend of virtual reality (VR) in retail applications, paying particular focus to a number of Samsung’s offerings. The outlet shares that Samsung debuted a VR experience at select AT&T stores last week, which includes a virtual Carnival cruise for users outfitted wit

Retail 41
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Uncovering The Value Proposition In FinTech Innovation

PYMNTS

Just because businesses are interested and willing to adopt payments innovations doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. Other key players in the adoption curve include government entities and financial institutions, says Bottomline Technologies Managing Director of Digital Banking Norm DeLuca. Governments and banks have a lot to do with developing an ecosystem that supports adoption of payments technologies for both consumers and corporates, and DeLuca sees some stark differences between the U.K. an

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Store Front Business Index: Main Street USA, A-OK?

PYMNTS

With the 2016 presidential race in full swing, many important economic issues are being discussed. One of the most significant: the health and importance of small businesses, and in particular, the “mom and pop” shops that line the main streets and side streets of our local communities. These businesses – we call them Store Fronts — represent 3.8 million businesses, accounting for nearly 37 percent of all SMBs.

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Is Apple Cutting Chinese Banks An Apple Pay Fee Deal?

PYMNTS

It wasn’t easy for Tim Cook to get Apple Pay into China, but his company was finally able to make that vision a reality last week (Feb. 18). Now, however, new details have surfaced as to why China’s banks were finally ready to jump on the Apple Pay bandwagon. According to a report in the Chinese news site Caixin , Apple cut a deal with Chinese banks to charge them less fees than what it charges banks in the U.S.

Banking 40
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Your Accounting Expertise Will Only Get You So Far: What Really Matters

Speaker: Victor C. Barnes, CPA, MBA

In the climb from contributor to leader, the rules quietly change. 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 (a concept first popularized by Marshall Goldsmith in his book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There ). 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.

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Mobile World Congress: Day 2 Trends

PYMNTS

Yesterday, PYMNTS detailed what happened during Day 1 of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. That included news like Visa’s car-based commerce deal, and its plans to expand Visa Checkout. It also detailed a series of news announcements from MasterCard, including details about its “selfie pay” expansion plan, MasterPass expansion plans, MasterCard’s IQ Series, its partnership with Coin, and its wearable payments play.

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Are The Wheels Coming Off Of Auto Loans?

PYMNTS

Bad loans – they’re everywhere! Well, not really. Mostly in the energy sector. Oh, and by the way, autos too, it looks like. The Wall Street Journal reported Monday (Feb. 29) that the banks have got a new sector to worry about, which comes on four wheels. With the caveat that problem loans on banks’ books tied to auto lending are thus far “at an early stage and manageable,” the warning signs are there that trouble may be in the offing.

Banking 40
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Flex On IoT: The 5 Biggest Opportunities

PYMNTS

Go ahead and blink, but the Internet of Things is everywhere around us. And, increasingly, IoT is on us. To get insight into the big picture of IoT, PYMNTS recently interviewed Sanket Amberkar, Senior Director of Innovation and New Ventures at Flextronics, a technology development company that is a big player in the IoT space. When talking IoT with someone from Flex, the first thing you should probably know is the company prefers to call it the “Intelligence of Things,” Amberkar said.

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The Trending Tweets And Topics That Defined MWC16

PYMNTS

Mobile World Congress 2016 is in the books, but the conversations and topics that drove the announcements of the week are sure to be driving the innovations for much of the next few years across the payments, tech, commerce, and security industries. But what were some of the biggest trends that hit social media this week during mobile’s big event in Barcelona?

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The Hidden Science Behind Why Finance Teams Resist Change—And How to Fix It

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.

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When Retail Fraud Is An Inside Job

PYMNTS

When it comes to a retailer protecting its assets — digital and otherwise — the intrinsic assumption might be that the focus ought to look outward. But the reality is that the greatest security threat facing retail companies, according to a number of recent surveys, often comes from within. And we’re not just talking about sales floor employees with occasionally sticky fingers (although we are talking about that, to some degree); we’re talking about advanced cybercrime.

Retail 40
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Western Union Under Watch As EU Eyes Money Transfer Market

PYMNTS

Western Union is being questioned by the European Union’s antitrust regulators in relation to allegations that it conspired with banks to push its rivals out of the money-transfer market. “Western Union is cooperating with the European Commission following a request for information on the company’s business in Europe,” spokesman Daniel Diaz said in an email, according to Reuters.

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Latvia’s Mintos FinTech Startup Grows P2P Loans Marketplace

PYMNTS

Mintos, a Latvian P2P lending startup, which provides a platform for investors to finance nonbank lender loans, has raised $2.2 million in a seed funding round led by Riga, Latvia-based VC Skillion Ventures. The year-old company helps its investors find loans they can fund or buy from alt-lenders who are looking to liquidate their investment. Mintos CEO and Cofounder Martins Sulte (left) with CFO and Cofounder Martins Valters (right).

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Concur Inks Another T&E Partnership

PYMNTS

Concur is on a roll when it comes to partnerships , linking companies like Lyft and HotelTonight with its corporate travel and expense management solutions for more streamlined business travel. Even more recently, the company cozied up to Booking.com. Its latest collaboration is with travel management firm CTI. Their tie-up, announced last Friday (Feb. 26), sees CTI giving its corporate clients access to Concur’s expense management solutions, a move made to help customers gain deeper insight int

Finance 40
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Doing More With Less: The Modern Finance Miracle

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.

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Amazon May Take Restaurant Delivery Across The Pond

PYMNTS

Despite many customers’ perceptions that tech companies like to beta test their new products and services as initial releases, Amazon has been cautious with its restaurant delivery program. However, now that several U.S. cities have been taken under the Prime Now umbrella, is it time for some transatlantic countries to get in on the fun? That’s the report from Reuters.

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Samsung Gets $120M Apple Patent Battle Overturned

PYMNTS

Most of the time, the big battles in retail take place on the battlefields of brick-and-mortar storefronts and customers’ keyboards. However, that doesn’t mean all the money corporations spend on legal team retainers is completely wasted. Reuters reported that, despite a string of losses in the courtroom and an order to pay Apple $120 million in damages for patent infringement, Samsung received a bit of good news on Friday (Feb. 26): The U.S.

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UK Contactless Spending Surges Threefold

PYMNTS

Contactless spending in the United Kingdom tripled last year to hit £7.75 billion ($10.76 billion) in transaction volume, marking a sharp spike from the £2.32 billion ($3.22 billion) spent in 2014. The growth of contactless spending, which more than doubled in volume than the last seven years combined, comes on the heels of widespread adoption by Transport for London (TfL), which now sees over a million journeys being paid for by contactless methods every day.

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WorldRemit Expands Into California

PYMNTS

Mobile money transfer service WorldRemit announced Wednesday (Feb. 24) that it has launched in California. Regarded as the U.K.’s fasted growing startup, WorldRemit said it has set its sights on California, as the state is home to one in four migrants in the U.S. California will also stand as the company’s second largest market to date. “WorldRemit allows people to send money to family and friends with the speed and convenience they have come to expect in our connected world.

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Tariffs on the Table: How to Brief the Board and C‑Suite With Confidence

“What should we do about the tariffs?” There’s no straightforward answer — every leader has a different expectation. CFOs want numbers. COOs want action. CEOs want strategy. And supply chain and procurement leaders need to be ready with the right response — fast. That’s why GEP has created a simple three-part framework that will help CPOs and CSCOs brief the board and C-suite with clarity and confidence.