North America

Card Processing | The United States is slowly catching up to the rest of the world in transaction processing, shifting from mag-stripe to more secure EMV payment cards.

Against the backdrop of a lackluster economy, Canadian voters will head to the polls on October 19—and it’s no shoe-in for incumbent prime minister Stephen Harper.

Management | Leadership Challenge
Nearly two out of three chief financial officers worldwide aspire to become chief executives of their company, but relatively few succeed in occupying the corner office.

Global Salon
At this point, it’s pretty much assumed that hackers are going to break into corporate computer networks. Global Finance talked with Michael Morris, chief Technology Officer of root9B, which offers cybersecurity services to corporate and government entities, about the war on digital attackers—and how businesses can retake some ground.

Gregory Malosh, managing director and head of information and liquidity products, BNY Mellon, explains why banks find outsourcing good business.

In the midst of a radical overhaul of its operations, Procter & Gamble will undergo a key leadership change in the fall. As of November 1, company insider David Taylor will take over as CEO from A.G. Lafley, who has held the position from 2000 to 2009 and from 2013 to the present.

The industry retrenches, redefining networks in response to client needs 

Management | Compensation
Gap Accounting: Some five years and 287,000 comments after the pay-ratio disclosure rule was included in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the US Securities and Exchange Commission issued the final regulation in August.

Trends | Crowdfunding
With traditional lenders facing stricter liquidity requirements as a result of the global financial crisis, crowdfunding is becoming an increasingly appealing source of financing for corporates.

Newsmakers | United States
An important C-suite reshuffle is taking place in the world of social networking sites, and it may offer a glimpse into the future of the industry as a whole.

Corporate Cash | Money Market Funds
Despite plenty of corporate pushback, the SEC’s controversial money market reform will be more headache than hardship for corporate investors.      

Special Report | U.S. Transaction Banking
Dealing with the regulatory complexities faced by their larger peers and without some of the flexibility of their smaller brethren, US regional transaction banks are building international partnerships and investing in best-of-breed technology platforms in order to win, and hold on to, corporate clients.

Capital Markets | Mergers & Acquistions
Boutique investment banks are eating the lunch of Wall Street’s bulge-bracket firms.

Trends | US Dollar/Corporate Earnings
As corporate guidance goes, it was not the most upbeat news ever.

Dear Reader:
The strength of the US dollar is keeping many executives busy these days both in the corporate and the financial world.

Trends | US Dollar/Mergers & Acquisitions
The US dollar has climbed some 25% since June to its highest level in the past 12 years, which could have a significant impact on one of America’s biggest economic drivers: foreign direct investment.

Newsmakers | United States
A new crack appeared in the corporate glass ceiling in February, when Cathy Engelbert was appointed CEO of Deloitte US, becoming the first woman to lead one of the Big Four audit and consulting firms in the United States.

Capital Markets | Stock Markets
The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) will soon have direct competition from an alternative equity-trading platform, also to be located in the heart of Toronto’s financial district, known as Bay Street.

Capital Markets | Q&A
Axel Merk is president and chief investment officer of Merk Investments, manager of the Merk Funds.
 

McDonalds appointment of British-born Steve Easterbrook as its new CEO has both surprised and delighted analysts—concerned by the burger behemoth’s first annual decline in 30 years.