Sat.Jun 03, 2017 - Fri.Jun 09, 2017

article thumbnail

IBM Japan Announces Mizuho Bank As API Customer

PYMNTS

IBM Japan announced Thursday (June 8) the launch of API banking for Mizuho Bank, that provides the bank with the ability to tailor services to its customers. In a press release IBM announced the bank will use IBM Japan’s FinTech API solution, as well as IBM API Connect on the IBM Cloud and IBM DataPower Gateway. “API banking becomes a crucial step that helps drive open innovations by new technologies for customers, business partners, and Mizuho Bank,” said Masahiko Kato, senior technical

Banking 73
article thumbnail

4 Steps to Successfully Implementing Rolling Forecasts

Planful

But at this point, the budget is most likely obsolete due to changing business conditions. So most of the work is spent analyzing and explaining variances to budget, and not enough work is spent on making mid-course corrections. To address this issue, many organizations are adopting rolling forecasts as a way to periodically update budget assumptions throughout the year, reallocate resources, and more accurately predict future results.

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Trending Sources

article thumbnail

AI/Bot: Dole’s Secret Artificial Intelligence Weapon

PYMNTS

Artificial intelligence (AI)–assisted technologies have been on the rise over the past few years. From virtual personal assistants to video games, smart cars, online customer support, and music or movie recommendations, AI has infiltrated nearly every aspect of consumers’ everyday lives. Yes, we can all thank AI for our Netflix addiction. While AI certainly makes consumers’ lives easier, it’s also working in nearly every industry to help streamline operations.

article thumbnail

Blue Apron Files To Go Public

PYMNTS

Blue Apron on Thursday filed to go public , but that doesn’t mean the meal-kit pioneer has won the start-up game. From 2014 to 2016, the company grew revenue from less than $80 million to almost $800 million. But it also saw its losses grow, from $31 million to $55 million. That’s because new growth has been fueled by new customers, and those customers are easier to acquire in a nascent market.

Numbers 68
article thumbnail

Why Tech-Forward Tax and Accounting Firms Have the Inside Track to the Future

Speaker: Joe Wroblewski, Sales Engineer Manager

Automating time-consuming manual tasks can save your firm hundreds of hours–and thousands of dollars. But it can also have longer-lasting benefits, like helping you attract and retain the next generation of CPAs, and we don’t need to tell you how important that is amid the current generational staffing crisis in the tax and accounting profession. You'll want to save your seat for this new webinar with industry expert Joe Wroblewski, where we'll explore how to: Maximize ROI with Cost-Effective Te

article thumbnail

Blockchain Tracker: Blockchain’s Possible Impact On The Economy

PYMNTS

Blockchain could have an impact on the economy — is Russia leading the way with its current investments? With eCommerce transactions moving at the speed of light, the ability to have transparency between parties is likely crucial to preventing security breaches. When executives in the finance industry think of blockchain technology, its perception has shifted in the past few years in terms of how it could shape financial services — and therefore the economy — as a residual impact.

More Trending

article thumbnail

Shopify Now Lets Merchants Hire Virtual Employee ‘Kit’ For Free

PYMNTS

Today in retail news, employee of the week award goes to Kit, Shopify’s virtual assistant for Shopify merchants , who handles digital marketing and advertising for merchants on the platform … for an upcharge of $10 to $25 a month. Except now, all Shopify merchants can hire office assistant Kit at no additional cost. Yep, free office assistant labor: the holy grail of tight-margined businesses everywhere, and startups especially.

article thumbnail

Connected Consumers Won’t Trade Security For Efficiency

PYMNTS

The more connected devices consumers have, the more concerned they are about the security of their financial information. That’s according to the new “How We Will Pay” study PYMNTS recently conducted with Visa, which showed that the average consumer owns four connected devices, with 75 percent owning a device other than a smartphone or laptop – and the more they own, the more they shop.

article thumbnail

BlueCart Acquires Sous To Boost Mobile Procurement For Restaurants

PYMNTS

BlueCart is strengthening its position in restaurants’ back offices with a new acquisition. The company announced Thursday (June 8) that it is acquiring Sous, whose mobile restaurant administration platform will bolster BlueCart’s existing cloud procurement management solution. According to the companies, Sous’ mobile-first approach to the restaurant industry can bolster BlueCart’s restaurant procurement offering.

article thumbnail

There Are 6.1 Billion EMV Cards In Circulation

PYMNTS

According to new figures out from EMVCo, there were a total of 6.1 billion EMV cards in circulation worldwide as of the end of 2016. That represents an increase by about 1.3 billion cards over the last 12 months. The new data also indicates that 52.4 percent of all card-present transactions globally were handled with EMV tech — a 35.8 percent increase from the same time two years ago in 2015.

article thumbnail

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

article thumbnail

eCommerce Shipping, Logistics Provider ShipStation Launches Support Program

PYMNTS

eCommerce has had a significant impact on the retail industry. From the way payments are processed to the demand at the supply chain centers to expedite shipping and logistics, online shopping is certainly making its impact. To help move the ball in eCommerce, shipping and logistics solution company ShipStation has announced its new Solutions Providers Program.

article thumbnail

Data Enabler Startup ItsOn Brings Wireless Carriers Into The 21st Century

PYMNTS

Getting a cab or a meal, sending or receiving money, or shopping for a last-minute birthday gift: All of these everyday tasks are easy to complete from a smartphone. But updating your phone plan, adding some extra gigabytes of data or activating a roaming plan while abroad? Those require an old-fashioned phone call to the carrier. Why is it that phone technology is so advanced, yet making any changes to how, when and where we use that technology is so, well, archaic?

article thumbnail

Changing the Conversation About Income Volatility

PYMNTS

According to the Pew Charitable Trusts, the group of workers whose incomes rise and fall by as much as 25 percent over the course of a year is mostly made up of hourly workers in retail and gig economy workers. But while they make up a large segment of those affected by income volatility, they are far from alone. Self-employed contract workers, commission-based employees, tip-based workers, small business owners and seasonal workers all face variations on income volatility, according to Joanna S

article thumbnail

JDA Software Leads The Way To Digital And Omnichannel Retail

PYMNTS

Retail is more than a product on a shelf. It’s a product on a journey, from manufacturing to distribution to warehouse storage to stocking to, finally, purchase. To make the journey more efficient, retailers need an end-to-end approach, not just piecemeal solutions. Enter JDA Software. “At JDA, we’re focused on being able to enable the entire enterprise to operate in today’s environment,” said Jim Prewitt, JDA’s vice president of retail industry strategy.

Retail 54
article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

Airbnb Launches New Platform To Help Syrian Refugees, Among Others

PYMNTS

Airbnb has launched a new platform aimed at enabling regular people to host Syrian refugees, refugees in Europe and other people in need, dubbed Open Homes. According to the company, the Airbnb platform lets anyone sign up to host refugee or other person in need by providing them with part or all of their house. A handful of nonprofits and relief agencies can search the platform to find temporary housing for the people they are helping.

article thumbnail

Touch And Taste: The Future Of Food Is Here

PYMNTS

The question, “Where do you want to go for dinner?” just got more complicated. Restaurants are starting to introduce virtual reality and augmented reality dining. Customers at Carluccio’s in Britain can enjoy their pasta immersed in the sights and sounds of Sicily, but the sky is (literally) the limit — why not eat in space? Or under the sea? Globally since 2012, investors have channeled almost $2.5 billion into restaurant technology, especially at QSR establishments.

article thumbnail

Today In Data: Consumers’ Demand For New IoT Payment Methods

PYMNTS

Taking the temperature of consumer attitudes to help determine what’s next or how to best approach situations is something that’s often done by companies. One of the hot topics that has seen an uptick in researcher interest over the past few years has been connected technologies and how they’re influencing both consumer perceptions and actions. Serving as a barometer to consumers’ feelings toward connected devices, Visa partnered with PYMNTS to conduct a research study on the topic.

Numbers 51
article thumbnail

Apple Is Opening Its NFC Chip To Third-Party Apps

PYMNTS

Apple will enable third-party app developers to get access to the NFC chip inside the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus via the iOS 11 that is coming soon. According to a report , Apple Pay had been the only service allowed to use Apple’s near-field communications chip that enables contactless payments. Citing the keynote during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference this week, the report says Apple hinted that the chip was being extended to more than payments when it showed how the Apple Watch co

article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

NEW REPORT: Keeping Tabs On Trash, With An IoT Assist

PYMNTS

Why would anyone chuck a connected device directly into the trash right after purchasing it? Because, from inside a trash can, a data-rich location, connected households can get an assist in monitoring their waste and keeping tabs on what items need replenishment. June’s PYMNTS.com Intelligence of Things (IoT) Tracker highlights the various ways companies large and small are integrating connectivity into their Internet of Things devices and how this connectivity is impacting the way households o

article thumbnail

NEW REPORT: Can Faster Payments Put Caregivers On A Fast-Track To Full-Time Benefits?

PYMNTS

Not only are faster payment tools bringing helping to exchange funds at a quicker pace, but these solutions are also transforming the certain aspects of the gig economy and spurring investments in new payment infrastructures. The June Faster Payments Tracker™, powered by NACHA , highlights the latest trends and developments on how banks and FinTechs are investing in faster payment infrastructure and how these payment technologies are altering the way business is conducted.

article thumbnail

Mastercard And B2B Payments’ Great Leap Forward

PYMNTS

In the world of consumer payments in 2017, seeing a paper check out in the wild has become a genuinely rare event. Sure, there’s the occasional rent check or the $100 birthday check from Great Aunt Sue, but for the most part, the debit card put a fork through the heart of the consumer’s appetite for writing paper checks. Not so on the B2B side of payments, where payments between trading partners remain dominated by the 20th-century’s favorite payment method — where, staggeringly, 50 percent of a

B2B 48
article thumbnail

Indonesia In Billionaire Investor Tim Draper’s Crosshairs

PYMNTS

Where might investment riches lie in Asia? One billionaire investor, Tim Draper, sees promise in Indonesia. And the lure there may come in bits and bytes — as in bitcoin and blockchain. Bloomberg reported that the country’s lack of banking infrastructure paves the way for new, well, banking infrastructure. A dichotomy is at work here, with tech-savvy entrepreneurs and citizenship navigating platforms and apps and smartphones.

article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

Ethereum Piques Vladimir Putin’s Interest

PYMNTS

Moving at the speed of light was once reserved for the comic book hero Flash, but with nearly every industry going digital, technology may be giving him a run for his money. To help diversify its economy outside of oil and gas, Russian president Vladimir Putin is looking into investing in Ethereum , bitcoin’s main cryptocurrency competition. While Russia’s central bank has already put an Ethereum-based blockchain pilot project in motion for its online payments, there have been talks of a nationa

article thumbnail

SmartServe Designs Smartwatch To Improve Restaurant Service

PYMNTS

SmartServe has designed a unique iOS and Android smartwatch to help restaurants improve their overall service. According to Geeky Gadgets , the multi-task waiter app was launched via Kickstarter with the goal of raising £25,000 over the next 30 days. It is the first Android/iOS smartwatch with walkie-talkie function integrated and more and has been shortlisted for the Restaurant Tech Innovation Award 2017.

article thumbnail

Consumer Confidence Is Up — Way Up — This Father’s Day

PYMNTS

Dads are getting some extra love this Father’s Day, according to a study by the National Retail Federation (NRF). Total spending for the holiday is expected to hit $15.5 billion. That’s up from $14.3 billion last year and sets a new record since the study was first conducted 15 years ago. “It’s encouraging to see that consumers are spending on special occasions such as Father’s Day,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay.

Retail 48
article thumbnail

How Luxury Can Successfully Go Digital

PYMNTS

Though luxury has always in some sense been in the eye of the beholder – one person’s definition of rich opulence can easily be another’s definition of overdone tackiness – in 2017, the boundaries of luxury have become especially hard to draw, according to Virtuoso CEO Matthew Upchurch. “It’s become nearly impossible to profile the luxury client today, particularly in travel, because consumers are searching for such a wide breadth and depth of experiences under than heading. ”.

article thumbnail

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.