Educational institutions face a unique set of security issues in order to ensure student safety. They must protect vulnerable student populations while balancing budget limitations, the desire to maintain inviting spaces for the students and community, and maintain government safety standards.

Media coverage of a number of school related tragedies has spurred upgrades to security equipment and procedures focused on student protection as public outcry boosted funds available for security spending. As a result, there has been a shift at a large share of schools — particularly primary and secondary — to devote a portion of their budget each year to evaluating and improving their existing security systems. 

Read more to see how security challenges vary by the type of education facility.

Companies in the business services sector provide a variety of B2B services such as security, landscaping, and waste management. In the U.S., there are 390,000 companies in the business services sector with annual sales of $815 billion. The 50 largest companies make up less than 25 percent of total revenue, according to First Research Inc.

The demand for business services tends to rise and fall with the overall economy, although some services, such as pest control, are more resistant to economic downturns. Europe and the U.S. are the primary markets; however, the business services sector is growing quickly in Colombia, Mexico, India, Indonesia, Kenya, and Poland, among other areas. In this blog post, we’ll explore different types of business services and examine potential challenges and opportunities within this sector.

Within the credit card sector, innovative technologies are changing the way people make purchases.

Mobile and alternative payments are experiencing significant growth, with a range of payment providers in the mix including PayPal, MasterPass by MasterCard, Apple Pay, Amazon Payments, and Google Wallet.

In addition, co-branded credit cards continue to lure affluent households and millennial shoppers — which are prime demographics in the payments industry.

Is Bali really the best-kept secret of the global FinTech community?

Bali is known for its pristine beauty and its outstanding hospitality. In Part-1 of this two-part series, we showed that behind the scenes there is a vibrant and colorful international FinTech and Startup community evolving on the island. We also explored why Bali is so attractive for FinTech activities and listed "The 10 Magnetic Powers of Bali." Now, let's take a look at the leaders in Bali's FinTech community.

Is Bali really the best-kept secret of the global FinTech community?

Among FinTech enthusiasts there is a rumor that Bali is a thriving hub for innovative thinking, startups, BitCoin and financial technology in particular. The problem is that we rarely hear specifics about it, and there is no good source compiling and overviewing FinTech activity in Bali. Writing this blog post, we at Banking Reports, a leading source of FinTech market intelligence, can verify that, yes, Bali is really a hotspot for FinTech and BitCoin. In our research we have found something even broader: Bali is a paradise for startups in general from all industries, sizes and shapes.

It is often echoed in the media how dangerous deflation is. But, when it comes to ‘why’, journalists, bankers and even economists have a hard time putting together a clear and concise argument. Banking Reports, Ltd. has created this list of ‘A Dozen Dangers of Deflation’.

Rivaling consumer electronics, clothing has become one of the most purchased physical products online in recent years. Clothing was also the leading category in global cross-border B2C E-Commerce in 2014, accounting for over a third of all cross-border online purchases. In China and Japan, online mass merchants and marketplaces have become the most popular platforms for consumers to purchase clothing. In Europe, clothing has been the leading category by share of online shoppers in countries such as the UK, Germany, Russia, Italy and Turkey. Clothing merchants stand to benefit from adoption of current market trends, including but not limited to: M-Commerce, Omnichannel and Cross-Border B2C E-Commerce. Those merchants currently operating purely online or predominantly store-based could seek to adopt these strategies in an effort to gain a share in the booming online clothing market.

A Series Identifying Trends, Challenges and Opportunities Banks and Bankers Will Face in 2015

In Part-1 and Part-2 of this three-part series, Banking Reports, Ltd. Research, a leading research firm covering the banking industry, identified six significant trends that are projected to impact the banking sector during 2015. These trends have included: Apple Pay, FED rate-hike, African banking, the Chinese banking system, crypto-currencies and commodity-sensitive economies. In  this final installment, Banking Reports will explore four final trends and how they will impact the industry this year, including: PayPal, FinTech vs. FinServ, Europe's struggles, and the biggest challenges and successes for the upcoming year.

A Series Identifying Trends, Challenges and Opportunities Banks and Bankers Will Face in 2015

In Part-1 of this three-part series, Banking Reports, Ltd. Research, a leading banking industry research firm, identified the first three, out of a total of 10, trends that will impact the banking industry throughout 2015, including: Apple Pay, FED rate-hike and African banking. In this second installment, we will take a look at trends in the Chinese banking system, crypto-currencies and commodity-sensitive economies.

A Series Identifying Trends, Challenges and Opportunities Banks and Bankers Will Face in 2015

Bankers throughout the globe primarily focus on operating their banks in a safe and efficient way. But, they have little time to gain clear, established and organized information about the industry as a whole, and as we move into a new year, it is as critical of a time as ever to understand the factors that will be driving the industry moving forward. Therefore, Banking Reports, Ltd. Research, a leading banking industry research firm, has identified the following trends to help bankers better understand the challenges and opportunities that will arise throughout 2015.