The WannaCry ransomware that just hit more than 150 nations serves as a sobering reminder of the damage cybercriminals can inflict. Apparently stolen from the National Security Agency, the malicious software shut down government computers from Brazil to Russia, along with hospitals and financial institutions worldwide. It took a 22-year-old British security researcher – puttering around on Read More
The 29 million small businesses in the U.S. account for 54 percent of the country’s sales, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. And in a digital era gone entrepreneurial, the small business sector is also growing, with more startups and declining rates of failure. Yet if at least some vital part of the small business space Read More
In India, at least half of the population is unbanked: Remarkably, these people lack access to the convenience of electronic payments so common in the west. Yet while India is home to the world’s largest unbanked populace, mobile phone adoption is on the rise. The jump adds up to about 200 million mobile subscribers, with 5 million Read More
With 2017 in full swing, let’s pause to recall the many well-intentioned executives whose proposals to hike spending on mobile banking were as welcome by their CEOs as a Friday afternoon visit from the FDIC. It’s easy to understand the temptation to cut budget requests to enhance mobile banking. After all, many fixed and regulatory costs are Read More
CarrieAnne Cormier talks about creating the "Avidia Smarties," a group of bank employees who use social media to engage and entertain audiences, while gaining Avidia national and international attention. Listen to the podcast on Soundcloud. Follow along with Carrie and the Smarties on social media and on their blog, Avidia Smarties. Lou references a recent article from BAI's Holly Hughes, Tap Read More
Apple Pay. Affirm. Bitcoins. Samsung Pay and Android Pay. And: Don’t forget online consumer finance programs that let customers finance high-priced goods … in their shopping carts. Money may not grow on trees, but it can certainly sprout in cyberspace these days. “There are a lot of new companies extending credit so that customers can buy things Read More
OK, so we aren’t yet pulling up to ATMs in flying cars or conducting financial transactions with life on Mars. Still the future is now for the wealth management industry. Technological innovations such as robo-advisor applications and social investing platforms have catapulted us into a new age of financial advising. However, the profound extent of technology’s impact Read More
