Merchant

You can’t just turn the computers off and shut your door, nor can you rely on outdated, traditional training methods to prepare your team for a landscape of threats and continuously evolve, writes Laura Lee, executive vice president of cyber training and assessments at the Circadence Corporation.

Consumers now expect money to move at web speed, be instantly available, and safe to spend, writes Drew Edwards, CEO of Ingo Money.

In a surprise move, the Supreme Court will decide whether Amex may bar merchants from steering customers to less expensive card networks. The card issuer will have to prove the consumer gain from its practices outweighs the merchant pain.

The U.S. Supreme Court accepted a case that could roil the credit-card business, agreeing to consider reviving government allegations that American Express Co. thwarts competition by prohibiting merchants from steering customers to cards with lower fees.

The ROI with the incremental costs and considerations will determine whether to proceed or not whether it is cashless, cash, or other alternative payment methods, writes Laura Townsend, senior vice president of the Merchant Advisory Group.

Efforts to make it easier for small businesses to apply for SBA loans, coupled with key community banks' outreach initiatives, contributed to the third consecutive record for 7(a) lending, but credit union participation is still lagging.

The convenience of receiving payments within seconds, with the minimal transaction fees that bitcoin provides, means a lot to a business, writes Mariam Nishanian from Dentacoin.

As market forces redefine much of the industry, similar to the effects of disruption in the retail sector, regulators should be embracing new banking models.

Total revenue rose less than 1% to $21.8 billion, but expenses declined 2.5% to $13.1 billion. That computed to the highest profit at Bank of America in six years.

Macy's is not alone, as more companies find success after upgrading loyalty programs, writes Tom Caporaso, CEO of Clarus Commerce.