Looking back

Historical deep dives into key developments in the fascinating history of accounting and payroll. 

The long road to ban child labor 

Industrialization led to an increased focus on banning child labor, but the efforts continue in the modern day.

50 years of SWIFT 

How the introduction of secure cross-border bank messaging changed international business forever.

The origins of white collar vs. blue collar

The collared divide of occupations emerged in the 1930s, following more than a century of changes in the nature of work and clothing.

“The blue ­chambray shirt is emblematic of a phenomenon that shows no sign of receding — the ever-­accelerating chic of ‘yesterday’s blue-­collar brands.’”

The rise and fall of the paper paycheck

The story of the paycheck is one of unrealized potential. Learn how this payroll innovation went out of fashion as quickly as it came.

79% of all retail purchases in the Netherlands in 2020 were debit card transactions

How debit cards changed our lives

After debuting in the 1970s, debit cards took hold in the 1990s and 2000s, changing how we spend our hard-earned money.

90% of banknotes in developed countries are distributed by ATMs

How the rise of cash machines changed payday

After payroll went digital, people still needed cash, mobbing bank branches on paydays. In the 1970s, banks started making big investments in a new innovation: the Automated Teller Machine.

How digitizing payroll set the scene for a cashless society

When companies started embracing direct bank deposits for employees’ wages 50 years ago, it laid the foundation for today’s digital cash.