PYMNTS

JULY 18, 2016

ATB Financial just completed the sending of a payment from its home base of Canada to a bank in Germany in 20 seconds via blockchain. Admittedly, most consumers, says SAP Senior Principal of Financial Services Kris Hansen, would simply shrug at this accomplishment. But, he said, they’re missing the point. The bank first announced the payment last week, an effort completed with the collaboration between ATB Financial, SAP and blockchain fintech company Ripple.

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PYMNTS

JULY 21, 2016

Visa and PayPal today (July 21) announced a strategic partnership that will combine the power of the largest payments network in the world with the largest digital payments network in the world to give consumers more choice about how they pay when using their PayPal accounts. According to a release that was issued by PayPal announcing the deal, “the partnership puts PayPal and Visa on a new path with the companies working more collaboratively to accelerate the adoption of safe, reliable and conv

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PYMNTS

JULY 20, 2016

Ransomware may have started with consumers, but attacks against businesses and large organizations are on the rise, according to Symantec ’s Ransomware and Businesses 2016 report. The security software company said that, while individuals accounted for 57 percent of the recorded ransomware attacks in 2015, attacks on companies and larger organizations increased at the end of the year.

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PYMNTS

JULY 22, 2016

Lock, stock and barrel. That may be the perfect way to sum up Mastercard’s announcement yesterday (July 21) that it struck a deal to purchase nearly all – at 92.4 percent – of VocaLink for approximately $920 million. Though the purchase of London-based VocaLink is sure to open the door for Mastercard to play a role in the company’s key payment technology platforms for U.K. payment schemes, it also contributes to Mastercard’s overall vision for the future of commerce.

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JULY 20, 2016

Intelligent Point of Sale , the Scottish maker of an iPad electronic point-of-sale (EPOS) application , unveiled the latest version of the app on Tuesday (July 19), pricing it lower than some of its competitors. The new version, dubbed intelligentpos Version 4.0, marks a complete overhaul of the product, with the company saying it is better, faster and has more in-depth reporting.

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PYMNTS

JULY 20, 2016

Rejection is a tough pill to swallow, especially if you’re an entrepreneur looking to build up a new business. A recent survey by the Federal Reserve found that there is an 80 percent chance that a bank will reject you for a loan if you are a startup or a small business. Yet, traditional banks remain the top destination for small business owners when seeking financing, and while there are alternative options out there should the business get denied, analysts agree that SMEs should get educ

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PYMNTS

JULY 20, 2016

So, what’s this location-based advertising thing, and why is it (going to be) so important for the future of retail and mobile transactions? Well, if you’re an advertiser or somebody whose job it is to get products and brands in the face of consumers, then location-based advertising literally is the next big thing in mobile retail transactions. There’s a reason, after all, why 66 percent of marketers listed location-based advertising as the “most exciting” mobile opportunity of 2016, according

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PYMNTS

JULY 16, 2016

For those looking for something to celebrate this weekend, the world hasn’t really come through. Sure, maybe you can throw an off-the-wall unboxing party as your newly ordered toilet nightlight from Amazon Prime Day arrives. But for the rest of us, things look a little less than celebratory. Something rather ominously called a “ heat dome ” is setting up to effect over 75 percent of the U.S. starting Sunday (July 17), and the only thing more tragic than the horrific news out of Nice yesterday i

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PYMNTS

JULY 20, 2016

Some online gamblers and eCommerce website operators are up in arms after being blocked from receiving daily payments because of an outage at Worldpay, the United Kingdom payment processor. Worldpay’s customers include British Airways. According to a report , the outage has been going on for three weeks, angering some companies who have been contending with upset customers.

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Advertiser: Paycor

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.

PYMNTS

JULY 20, 2016

When First Data quietly announced its purchase of Clover in 2013 – the move was widely covered as a competitive answer to Square (and its many imitators). The common narrative was a tale of two payments hardware firms – with Square playing the part of the of the streamlined payment platform best for super-new SMBs that didn’t need a lot of extra functions and Clover cast as the heavier-duty option for more established small businesses that needed more back end functionality.

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PYMNTS

JULY 22, 2016

So, how can you get your hands on the newest and hottest pair of Warby Parker shades — a “head-turning Haskell in Crystal, now with new silver mirrored lenses” that’s retailing for $95? Nope, you won’t be able to purchase them at WarbyParker.com or anywhere on the hip eyewear purveyor’s burgeoning list of brick-and-mortar retail stores. No, the only way you can get your hands on these “exclusive” bad boys is if you follow Warby Parker on Snapchat , where the brand shared a Snapchat story with it

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PYMNTS

JULY 20, 2016

We’re a few weeks away from the opening ceremonies of the 2016 Summer Olympic games, to be held, this time, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. With them, a surge of millions of people will enter the city from all over the globe. It’s a massive opportunity for cross-border commerce , and payments technology companies are taking advantage. But away from the face of the consumer, the Olympics also offer a new hub for international procurement.

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PYMNTS

JULY 19, 2016

Retailers can’t be held entirely liable for the ham-fisted ways they’ve tried to push virtual and augmented reality onto consumers, who — like retailers themselves — don’t quite know what to make out of the technology just yet. When these potentially transcendent platforms are put to retail use, it can almost seem like an anticlimax of breakthrough tech being relegated to old experiences.

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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.

Accounting

PYMNTS

JULY 18, 2016

Retail sales got off to a shaky start this year, but things seem to be turning around for the U.S. retail and food services industries, which saw an uptick in sales in June. The U.S. Census Bureau reported on Friday (July 15) that retail and food services sales for June came in at $457 billion, up 0.6 percent from May and up 2.7 percent year over year.

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PYMNTS

JULY 20, 2016

[link]. Despite the ever-increasing number of connected thermostats, Wi-Fi lightbulbs and Internet-ready refrigerators that are making their way into consumers’ houses, webbing all of these gadgets together into a truly cohesive smart home has proven a much more elusive goal. It’s not that a truly connected smart home is unachievable – according to Intel, all the technology the Internet of Things could ever need is already in place.

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PYMNTS

JULY 18, 2016

Amazon has already dominated the online shopping and clothing markets, and now, it is setting its sights on the food delivery industry, something that startups, including Uber, have been eyeing. According to a media report , which cited several unnamed technology and food industry sources, Amazon is mulling launching its Amazon Restaurants service in London.

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PYMNTS

JULY 22, 2016

Considered to be one of India’s most developed cities, Pune is making a name for itself as a go-to tech hub in the country. In recent years, the city has seen an exponential growth of its startup community and may be on its way to taking the country’s startup capital top spot. In this week’s edition of PYMNTS’ Weekly Tech Center Roundup , we land in the growing tech ecosystem of India to check on the small city of Pune and how it wants to make a big name for itself as a global tech hub.

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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.

Finance

PYMNTS

JULY 22, 2016

Edward Snowden has long been warning the world about what the government can do with data gleamed off an iPhone or mobile device. But now he is putting action to his word by rolling out an iPhone case that he alleges even a spy couldn’t breach. Teaming up with well-known hacker Andrew “bunnie” Huang, the two designed the device, which is a piece of hardware that you put on your iPhone.

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PYMNTS

JULY 22, 2016

Just when you think that it’s going to be hard, once again, to find a Sizzle, yesterday happens. SIZZLE. Payments and Consumer Choice. What a difference a day makes. Two days ago, the payments ecosystem was humming along as it always does. Maybe even more boring than usual. Summer doldrums. The next day, July 21, it goes into sizzle overdrive. The day began with Mastercard announcing an acquisition of epic proportions : VocaLink.

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PYMNTS

JULY 20, 2016

Despite efforts by companies and security professionals to protect the nation’s computer systems, incidents of malware attacks are on the upswing, coming at a rate that is close to four times last year. According to AppRiver’s second quarter Global Security Report , between April 1, 2016 and June 30, 2016 the security firm recorded 4.2 billion malicious emails and 3.35 billion spam emails.

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PYMNTS

JULY 20, 2016

Uber for Business expanded its expense management capabilities for corporate travelers last March when it announced partnerships with Certify, Expensify and Chrome River, all to automate the capture of ride transaction data for an expense report. On Tuesday (July 19), Uber for Business announced the expansion of its collaboration with another T&E firm, Concur , that goes beyond capturing spend data.

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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.

Finance

PYMNTS

JULY 22, 2016

As corporate payments firm WEX looks to strengthen its presence in the insurance sector, the company revealed a new partnership to help in the process. On Thursday (July 21), WEX announced a collaboration with Aquarium Software , a global insurance technology company that focuses on niche insurance segments, like pets and travel. WEX will provide its virtual payments solution for Aquarium to provide end-to-end payments for its business clients; their partnership will first begin with Aquarium

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PYMNTS

JULY 20, 2016

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has been targeting the Business Email Compromise for years, warning companies to be aware of fake supplier emails and invoices requesting firms to wire funds. A new notice from the FBI continues its crackdown of the scheme and pinpoints what reports call “ground zero” for the scam. According to reports published on Tuesday (July 19), Hong Kong is the epicenter of these business email scams, with fraudsters already nabbing (or attempting to steal)

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PYMNTS

JULY 19, 2016

It looks like Walmart Canada wasn’t bluffing. As of Monday the retail chain has officially stopped taking Visa cards in several locations after failing to reach a deal with the card network over what it called “unacceptably high” fees. The coming controversy first became headline fodder about a month ago – when Walmart announced that it had been unable to come to an agreement with Visa on an “acceptable” fee.

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PYMNTS

JULY 18, 2016

How did you pay for your coffee this morning? If you’re among the group of people who prefer paying in cash over a credit card, debit card or mobile payment app — and yes, there are those people out there — a new study reveals that you might actually be more “proud” and emotionally connected to your purchases than the average costumer. A new study by Avni M.

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Advertiser: GEP

“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.

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