PYMNTS

JUNE 23, 2017

Girl Scouts will soon get the chance to earn their first ever cyber security badges. The Huffington Post reports that Girl Scouts can earn the first of 18 cyber security Girl Scout badges beginning in September 2018. The program will reach as many as 1.8 million Girl Scouts in kindergarten through sixth grade and is being developed in a partnership between the Girl Scouts and Palo Alto Networks, a security company.

Securities 86

Securities 86

Planful

JUNE 22, 2017

Financial Consolidation in the Accounting World. By itself, the term “consolidation” simply means to put things together. But in the accounting world, “financial consolidation” is a well-defined process that includes several complexities and accounting principles. Here are the key accounting consolidation steps in the finance consolidation process : Collecting trial balance data (e.g., Assets, Liabilities, Equity, Revenue, and Expense accounts) from multiple general ledger systems, and mapping

Accounting 40

Accounting General Ledger IFRS GAAP 40

PYMNTS

JUNE 22, 2017

Kids these days. Millennials are using FinTech to pay back their college loans, cover healthcare expenses, and now, through FinTech startup Future Family , to get pregnant. More and more women are waiting until their 30s to have children. There are plenty of good reasons for that: millennials are getting married later, and having kids is expensive. But the biological clock waits for no woman.

Startups 79

Startups Planning Healthcare Finance 79

PYMNTS

JUNE 21, 2017

To say that the retail industry is going through a minor transformation right now would be an understatement. While several store closings and bankruptcy filings have been reported over the past year, the retail news cycle hasn’t exactly painted an inspiring image for the future of retail. Moving into the digitally driven age, retailers are looking for new and meaningful ways now more than ever to engage, maintain and retain consumer attention.

Retail 78

Retail eCommerce Technology Sales 78

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

Accounting Firms

PYMNTS

JUNE 19, 2017

With many cybercriminals choosing bitcoin as their currency of choice, the U.S. Department of Justice has naturally done its best to set up regulations that would prevent criminals from using the cryptocurrentcy for nefarious purposes. But those regulations may be doing more harm than good, since they’re also keeping vigilante security consultants from doing business to protect their law-abiding clients from those same cybercriminals.

Currencies 75

Currencies Securities Accounting 75

PYMNTS

JUNE 23, 2017

Walmart made some news lately when it dipped its toe into the gig economy waters, asking employees to deliver packages ordered by customers who live along their commutes. Employees can opt into the program via a smartphone app to take home up to 10 deliveries a day and earn a little extra cash. The success of this quasi-gig delivery program depends on several key factors.

Leverage 71

Leverage Transportation Marketing Retail 71

PYMNTS

JUNE 20, 2017

FindFace started as a futuristic social technology for identifying strangers by scanning their faces with a smartphone camera. Two years later, the facial recognition technology is the best in the world (yep, even better than Google’s) and is being used for public safety, law enforcement and fraud prevention through cybersecurity. Of course, facial recognition has driven significant public controversy over the erosion of personal privacy and anonymity.

Technology 69

Technology Retail Marketing Numbers 69

PYMNTS

JUNE 23, 2017

More than $30 million in venture capital stuck around the U.K., the U.S. and Canada, mostly focusing on Series A investments. The U.K., though, is a particularly bright star this week, as more than 60 percent of that funding went to London startups. Preparations for corporate banking disruption and PSD2 are stirring the innovation pot, it seems. We break down all the B2B FinTech funding rounds below.

B2B 68

B2B Marketing Reconciliations Startups 68

PYMNTS

JUNE 22, 2017

Like strands in the double helix of DNA, the home of London’s most customizable diet and a gene analysis lab are intertwining to create something truly magnificent: the healthiest meal in the world. That goes deeper than five fruits a day, personal fitness goals and taste preferences. The healthiest meal in the world is different for everyone, and DNA holds the key to food customization for the perfect meal.

Leverage 67

Leverage Securities Finance 67

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Accounting

PYMNTS

JUNE 21, 2017

While the world of payments has mostly gone online – rent remains stubbornly analog in the age of digital. According to a recent Zillow study, 76 percent of rent payments are made offline – mostly in the form of checks, though cash and money orders make guest appearances from time to time. And it was a situation that Ryan Abell, CEO & founder of PayRent.com found acutely annoying in his days as a property manager.

Accounting 65

Accounting Banking Marketing 65

PYMNTS

JUNE 23, 2017

There are a few sexy cybercrime cases that pervade the public consciousness. They fill anxious minds with visions of hooded hackers reaching through glowing ones and zeroes to steal their data. Last month’s global ransomware attack WannaCry dominated real estate on every major tech website, including PYMNTS. But in the shadow of these attacks, a cyber pandemic is being overlooked.

Prioritization 65

Prioritization Securities Banking Technology 65

PYMNTS

JUNE 22, 2017

How do machines learn to learn? In Episode Three of PYMNTS’ machine learning podcast, Socure CEO Sunil Madhu and PYMNTS CEO Karen Webster get technical as they explore the methods and processes that are making machines progressively smarter. In Episode Two, Madhu and Webster talked about different kinds of artificial intelligence (AI) and how each is equipped to handle certain kinds of jobs.

Education 65

Education Numbers Securities Accounting 65

PYMNTS

JUNE 22, 2017

Fighting fraud is a lot harder online, and a lot harder for merchants and consumers, as card-not-present transactions become the preferred method of malfeasance. In one recent announcement, payments provider TSYS and real-time learning technology platform Featurespace said they were joining forces to offer fraud prevention tools. The first product, the TSYS Foresight ScoreSM with Featurespace, utilizes machine learning and other initiatives to pinpoint cyberattacks tied to transaction fraud.

Technology 65

Technology Banking Securities 65

Advertiser: Paycor

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PYMNTS

JUNE 21, 2017

Payments are often described like the Tower of Babel, with disparate platforms trying to talk to each other without speaking the same language. It’s this inability to communicate that is causing connections to fall apart through the lifecycle, from initiation at the point of sale to back-end reconciliation. It’s an industry-wide problem that Modo is solving with its patented COIN technology.

Reconciliations 65

Reconciliations Currencies Communication Sales 65

PYMNTS

JUNE 21, 2017

Have you heard of Uncle Maddio’s Pizza? If not, it’s only a matter of time. The Atlanta-based fast casual, create-your-own pizza restaurant is looking to quadruple its presence, developing 150 new restaurants on top of its current 50 restaurants in 15 states. To make that happen, Uncle Maddio’s Pizza chose point of sale (POS) technology by PAR Technology Corp.

Sales 64

Sales Technology Retail 64

PYMNTS

JUNE 19, 2017

Real-time payments. Really, this time. The stage is set. Maybe. In our latest Topic TBD, Cheryl Gurz, global head of payments offering and product strategy at CGI, told Karen Webster that faster payments is an idea whose time has come, and has been coming. For years. “I remember having this conversation a decade ago” said Gurz, with banks and other firms about modernizing the payments infrastructure, and now consumers are demanding faster payments on the retail side.

Economics 64

Economics Accounting Technology Retail 64

PYMNTS

JUNE 23, 2017

The mobile revolution has hit the dining industry, and from local haunts to multinational chains, restaurants are looking to offer increasingly mobile customers new ways to pick up a quick meal. The latest PYMNTS Mobile Order-Ahead Tracker™, powered by LevelUp , features news on restaurants around the space introducing new mobile order-ahead solutions designed to give customers new and improved ordering experiences.

Budgeting 64

Budgeting Technology Retail 64

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

JUNE 22, 2017

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) may be in over its head when it comes to key constituents’ feelings regarding its Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. In response to a new CFPB report , people are expressing concerns over some loan servicers delaying or denying access to this loan forgiveness due to misinformation about loans, payment processing flaws and issues with job certifications.

Numbers 63

Numbers Planning 63

PYMNTS

JUNE 19, 2017

Buckle Inc. reported Friday , June 16, that it had discovered malware on certain retail store location point of sale systems. The company believes that exposure of cardholder data that could be used to create counterfeit cards – including names, addresses, emails and Social Security numbers – was limited, but some credit card numbers may have been compromised.

Sales 63

Sales Numbers Securities Retail 63

PYMNTS

JUNE 21, 2017

Every home has a central place where everyone gathers to unwind from the day and catch up on news. More often than not, that place is the family kitchen. Samsung has taken note. With its Family Hub smart refrigerator debut, this new Samsung Internet of Things (IoT) offering is looking to enhance the in-kitchen experience. With over a year of consumer insights and feedback gathered, Samsung’s Family Hub has a paired mobile app that expedites daily tasks, including shopping and communication

Entertainment 62

Entertainment Communication Technology Securities 62

PYMNTS

JUNE 22, 2017

In venture capital news, London startup TrueLayer has raised $3 million in Series A funding so that it can enable FinTech companies to access bank APIs. According to TechCrunch , the Series A funding round was led by Anthemis Group, with participation from existing investor Connect Ventures. The money will be used to expand the TrueLayer team and increase coverage of supported banks before it expands beyond beta testing later this year.

Banking 62

Banking Startups Accounting Securities 62

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

JUNE 23, 2017

Funding company Shopify Capital just released details from its Q1 2017 earnings call, which many are speculating will lead to a 25 percent return on investment (ROI). Following a recent $561 million equity funding round, and with $18.6 million in merchant cash advance (MCA) and $11 million in new cash advances as of April 2017, the company is likely in a solid spot.

Investments 59

Investments Planning Retail 59

PYMNTS

JUNE 23, 2017

Shopping malls and convenience stores are among the fastest growing brick-and-mortar retail buildings in China, according to news from the country’s Ministry of Commerce. To help learn more about consumer spending, the Chinese government has put together a way to gauge consumer spending in these commerce areas. Here are the numbers: 58 | Number of cities where mall index was developed and measured. 30 | Number of cities where convenience store index was developed and measured. 77.2 perce

Economics 59

Economics Numbers Retail 59

PYMNTS

JUNE 21, 2017

Starling Bank, a mobile-only bank that became the first in the U.K. to launch a new current account, has joined the Faster Payments scheme to provide real-time payments for its clients. According to reports Tuesday (June 20), payments-as-a-service company Form3 is partnering with Starling Bank to loop it into the real-time payment network. Together, Form3’s cloud infrastructure will combine with the Payment Services of Starling Bank for a real-time payments platform that operates 24/7, the

Banking 58

Banking Leverage Technology Accounting 58

PYMNTS

JUNE 23, 2017

People in the London, Leeds and Nottingham area of the U.K. will soon be “lovin’ it” from the comfort of their own home. With the various restaurant deliveries available in the area, including Just-Eat, Deliveroo and Amazon Prime Now, many restaurants have started bringing prepared meals to people’s doorsteps. While McDonald’s has been notoriously hard to pin down, UberEats has finally made a deal with the fast-food giant.

Retail 57

Retail 57

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