When it comes to technology, especially fintech, conversations usually focus on software, algorithms, automations, and APIs. But behind every trade, transaction, and AI model lies something just as important: hardware. The performance of the physical systems running our software determines how efficiently, securely, and profitably we operate. [Read more…] about Why Hardware is Just as Critical as Software in Finance and Innovation
Thought Leaders
How Prepaid Technology Is Growing Canada’s Fintech Economy
When Canadians tap a card for coffee, receive an instant paycheck, or move money through a digital banking app, many don’t realize they’re relying on prepaid technology. [Read more…] about How Prepaid Technology Is Growing Canada’s Fintech Economy
The Sticky Note Nightmare: Why PCI Compliance is Your Business’s Best Friend
Imagine this: It’s the end of a long, busy day at your small coffee shop. A regular customer calls in a panic—they left their wallet at home but need to pre-order a large batch of pastries for a meeting tomorrow. To be helpful, you jot their credit card number down on a sticky note, planning to run it through the terminal in the morning. You stick it to the monitor and forget about it. [Read more…] about The Sticky Note Nightmare: Why PCI Compliance is Your Business’s Best Friend
From Reactive to Proactive: The Importance of Predicting and Preventing Cyber Threats
Today, most Canadian organizations understand it’s no longer a matter of if they’ll face a cyber attack – but when.
Yet too many still take action only after a breach or fraud has occurred, rather than doing everything possible to detect threats and vulnerabilities early, and stop them in their tracks before damage is done. [Read more…] about From Reactive to Proactive: The Importance of Predicting and Preventing Cyber Threats
Software Engineering at Helcim: Building More than Just Code
At Helcim, we’re not just writing code, we’re helping small and medium-sized businesses thrive. As a growing Calgary-based fintech, we’re on a mission to be the world’s most loved payments company. Behind our merchant-first platform is a world-class engineering team that solves meaningful problems every day. [Read more…] about Software Engineering at Helcim: Building More than Just Code
Is Canada Ready for a Fully Automated Payments Future?
Globally, countries like Sweden are often cited as benchmarks for digital payments, with their sophisticated real-time systems and growing cashless societies. Sweden’s approach integrates technologies such as digital identification, contactless payments, and centralized banking, setting a high standard for efficiency and inspiring other nations as they look to the future of automated payments. [Read more…] about Is Canada Ready for a Fully Automated Payments Future?
The Case for Automating Error Correction in Bill Payments
A Necessary Shift for Canada’s Financial Institutions
Bill payments are a vital component of financial transactions in Canada, with over 1.6 billion bills paid annually and a total expenditure of CAD 6.5 trillion each year. Since 2016, Payments Canada has been modernizing the country’s payment systems, achieving significant improvements in the efficiency and reliability of bill payment processing. [Read more…] about The Case for Automating Error Correction in Bill Payments
Charities Must Move Online if They Want to Survive
The strike at Canada Post hit many Canadian charities like an earthquake, crumbling the investments they had made in their end-of-year direct mail fundraising campaigns, leaving a financial hole that will be hard to recover from, especially at the most important time of the year for fundraising at organizations across the country. [Read more…] about Charities Must Move Online if They Want to Survive
Fixing Canada’s Payroll Challenges Requires More Than Swapping Out Systems
Ottawa has already burned through $3.5 billion trying to fix the Phoenix pay fiasco — and now it’s shelling out even more after settling with federal employees hit by the chaotic payroll issues. [Read more…] about Fixing Canada’s Payroll Challenges Requires More Than Swapping Out Systems
Supply Chain Finance: The Next Frontier in Financing for SMBs
Small businesses (SMBs) are always in need of financing to support cash flow which is often hard to come by. The credit gap is huge, and lenders need to play a substantial role to make a dent, especially banks with large balance sheets. But large lenders’ hands are often tied due to concerns around risk. Given there is a concerted push from Governments to lend more to SMBs, there is a need for a solution that can bridge this demand and supply gap. Supply Chain Finance could be the solution. [Read more…] about Supply Chain Finance: The Next Frontier in Financing for SMBs