April, 2017

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Chatbot Tracker: Helping Productivity

PYMNTS

Chatbots have moved into a unique position over the past few years. Rather than using chatbots to resolve customer service issues solely on company websites or for inside use at organizations, businesses have begun branching out to help optimize both internal and external organizational needs. While chatbots may be traditionally thought of as the standard instant message chat windows, they have evolved to meet the needs of today’s fast-paced consumer.

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Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Selects Reval for Treasury Management

Reval

Greater Boston public agency connects treasury, banking and payments in the cloud. New York – April 11, 2017 – Greater Boston’s public transportation agency, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (“MBTA”), is automating its treasury management function using Reval, the leading Software as a Service (SaaS) solution for treasury and risk management.

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NEW REPORT: As Business Priorities Shift, APIs Go White-Hot

PYMNTS

Are the stars aligning for companies to make API investment a top priority? The April B2B API Tracker™ looks at how companies engaged in cross-border trade are turning to API solutions to reduce the friction that some players encounter when engaged in cross-border trade. A Passport to Simpler X-Border B2B Payments. Over the past few weeks, several companies made investments in APIs with a focus on improving the flow of cross-border trade.

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Rue21, mode.ai Launch Virtual Stylists Via Facebook Messenger

PYMNTS

Facebook’s annual developer conference F8 is seeing its fair share of chatbot integration announcements. Now the fashion world is taking center stage as both Rue21 and mode.ai announce their plans for a virtual stylist offering through Facebook’s Messenger app. While Rue21 is working with artificial intelligence–driven shopping bot provider mode.ai to take advantage of Facebook’s newly launched Chat Extensions feature, mode.ai also announced its plans for its own integration.

Retail 78
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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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RegTech, AI Fuel Strong B2B FinTech Numbers

PYMNTS

Good news emerged from the U.S. venture capital sphere this week: VC funding for FinTech startups in Q1 alone hit $1.2 billion, found a new report from KPMG. Analysts said the industry has seen its highest venture capital activity since Q1 of 2016, fueled by focus on late-stage investment rounds. “The U.S. leads the rest of the world in the total value of FinTech investment due to the large amount of funds available to invest in the market, with investors focusing on late-stage, clear front-runn

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VC Funds Adding More Cash For Future Funding

PYMNTS

It was a fairly quiet week for B2B startups on the venture capital front: Just three companies landed funding, all of which in the U.S., totaling $26 million. One startup focusing on enterprise cybersecurity blew the competition out of the water, accounting for nearly 80 percent of the total funds raised. And investment plans are looking up, with two venture capital funds announcing their own latest raises headed toward the B2B FinTech space in the future.

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Samsung Galaxy S8 Drops In U.S. — And The Complaints Begin

PYMNTS

For Samsung, the big day is here in the U.S. — the new flagship phone, the Galaxy S8, will hit U.S. shores today. After the very public fail of the S7 — and the costly product recall that followed — the launch is being watched with great interest segment-wide. So of course, the complaints are rolling in — though the good news is that this time they are far less serious than spontaneous combustion.

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Hollywood’s Newest Special Effect, Digital Banking?

PYMNTS

From phone support and mobile apps to ATMs and chatbots — when it comes to customer service, banking automation has come a long way. However, the one missing piece that these automated banking features lack is a real human being to interact with during a transaction. That’s something that Soul Machines, a New Zealand-based startup, is hoping to change.

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Ixaris Adds Competition To B2B Payments Innovation

PYMNTS

Last year, payments technology company Ixaris announced it would spin off some of its operations to form a separate unit dedicated to B2B payments. Now, the company is exploring the B2B payments space even further. The company launched its OPC Live! Innovation Challenge this week at the Innovative Finance Global Summit, held in London, Ixaris said Tuesday (April 11).

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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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Why Omnichannel Still Trips Up B2B eCommerce

PYMNTS

Consumers and business buyers alike are placing new pressures on merchants and their supply chains. The rise in omnichannel B2B and B2C eCommerce has, for some companies, created a disconnect in the product content viewed by buyers and a lack in product information management across sales channels means money lost. According to new data from 1WorldSync, almost half of surveyed merchants and suppliers have lost at least $1 million because of this challenge of omnichannel sales — and more than a t

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Apexx Organizes Merchant Solutions Marketplace

PYMNTS

Apexx, a FinTech startup, is reportedly launching in London, aiming to create a transparent marketplace in which merchants can browse and plug into competing services for a network of acquirers and payment brands. In a report , Apexx said with its platform, merchants can see how the costs compare from one payment brand to the next and get advice on the payment providers that would be best suited for the merchant.

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NY Cybersecurity Standards Loom, With Enterprises At The (Un)Ready?

PYMNTS

In the effort to shore up cyber defenses among financial companies, regulations are looming in New York state. Beginning this spring, and in staggered increments from March, when the regulations went into effect, the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) has mandated new practices and protocols for firms within insurance, banking and financial services.

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PayPal CEO On The Power Of Partnerships

PYMNTS

Most of the time, saying that some firm or other was a “totally different company five years ago” is a bit of hyperbole. However, in the case of PayPal, it really is the most accurate description — five years ago, PayPal had different leadership and different end goals and was still the payments branch of eBay. And, of course, its relationship with the card networks and issuers was…complicated at best, Dan Schulman told Karen Webster during their fireside chat at Innovation Project 2017.

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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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Blockchain Tracker: Blockchain’s Role In Digital Advertising

PYMNTS

Although it’s still in its infancy stage of being used outside of the financial arena, blockchain technology is slowly showing signs of impacting other industries. On the tip of everyone’s tongue in the digital advertising arena is blockchain technology. Just as recent as this January , ethereum-based blockchain technology company adChain partnered up with decentralized application studio ConsenSys with the goal of specifically developing a blockchain solution for the online advertising industry

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Hacker Tracker: U.S. Most Willing To Pay On Ransomware

PYMNTS

The U.S. was the number one target for ransomware last year. Its end users were also the most willing to pay. This according to the latest volume of the Internet Security Threat Report published today by software company and security product provider Symantec. In an interview with PYMNTS’ Karen Webster, Kevin Haley, director of Symantec Security Response, spoke to the many ways in which 2016 was a landmark year in cybercrime, where threat vectors point in the future and what’s being done to try

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Using Blockchain To Build Up Smart Cities

PYMNTS

Dubai is one of the fastest-growing regions in the world and has big ambitions to become a global tech hub. The young country is working to address the inefficiencies that can arise with increased growth. With comparatively less red tape in the way as compared to many other cities, Dubai is able to implement smart city-type technologies in order to continue pushing digital development in many areas.

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India’s Ecommerce Impact Is Tiny But Not For Long

PYMNTS

India has been the next bastion of growth for eCommerce companies, including Amazon and Alibaba, but the market is still in its infancy, accounting for just 1 percent of the world’s spending online. That’s according to Seeking Alpha which, in a broad report looking at the state of eCommerce in India, said the low penetration rate of eCommerce in the country is mainly due to the low number of Internet users compared to its total population.

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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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How DocuSign Turns Contracts Into Commerce

PYMNTS

Everyone knows the convenience of reviewing and signing a document anywhere at any time online, even on mobile devices. But for payments that might accompany those contracts — such as security deposits or escrow payments — documents remain separate and therefore a separate transaction. It was a friction that Woody Levin, DocuSign vice president of Growth/Consumer, decided to investigate.

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Today In Data: Most Willing To Pay Ransomware

PYMNTS

In terms of the country most willing to pay ransomware money, the United States came out on top. It’s not only the most willing payee, but it’s also the most targeted country in the world. According to software company and security product provider Symantec’s Internet Security Threat Report , ransomware attacks intensified in size, number and type. Here are the numbers: 100 | Amount of new malware families launched in 2016. 36 percent | Global increase in ransomware attacks. 266 percent | Inc

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UK’s FCA Sees Record Complaints In Latter Half Of 2016

PYMNTS

U.K. consumers lodged 3.04 million complaints in the second half of 2016 concerning financial products. This according to figures published yesterday by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the U.K.’s financial watchdog. In its figures, the FCA noted that total complaints were higher in the second half of 2016 compared to the first — when 2.05 million were recorded — in part because the organization changed its recording process.

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Uber Of X: goPuff Is The Uber Of Convenience Store Items

PYMNTS

Making a run to the corner store for one item, or even a few small items, can sometimes be a difficult feat to accomplish. Whether it’s lack of time in a busy schedule, transportation issues, proximity to a good store or just plain, “I’m going to stay home in my PJs and not do anything” laziness, convenience store runs can sometimes be more trouble than they’re worth.

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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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New Study Shows Many Companies Not Meeting Customer Expectations

PYMNTS

Talend, a leader in cloud and big data integration software, announced in a press release the results of an international consumer and IT business survey that reveals a surprising gap between customer expectations and what organizations are actually providing. With industry research suggesting businesses are losing $62 billion per year through poor customer service, this information can help companies figure out where they are falling short.

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Hacker Tracker: New Threats And Old Classics

PYMNTS

Cybercriminals certainly had a habit of churning out headline-worthy attacks in 2016 — from the Mirai botnet’s infamous distributed-denial-of-service attacks on domain directory Dyn and the DNC hack to hackers targeting the SWIFT interbank system. With these and other high-profile cases, the world became acutely aware of vulnerabilities in the digital realm.

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Man Accused Of Massive Yahoo Hack In US Denied Bail In Canada

PYMNTS

The man accused of being involved in a massive hack of Yahoo email accounts was denied bail in Canada, delaying U.S. plans to have him extradited. According to Reuters , prosecutors argued that Karim Baratov, a Canadian citizen who was born in Kazakhstan, posed a flight risk. Baratov will now remain in Canadian custody until his next bail hearing at the end of May, with sources saying that the attorney general of Canada will be ready to proceed with an extradition hearing by June 12.

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Uber Of X: WeGoLook Is The Uber Of Authentication

PYMNTS

Buying items online has become a regular everyday occurrence. With access to smart devices and laptops, consumers have the ability order anything from anywhere at anytime. An issue that can arise when buying sight unseen — rather than going to see the item in person — is that it can be difficult to ascertain authenticity. While Pew Research shows 79 percent of Americans shop online, it also found that 82 percent place a high value on factoring reviews into their purchasing decisions.

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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.